City: Chennai

In 2019, 23-year-old R Subhasri lost her life in Pallikaranai when an unauthorised cutout collapsed, knocking her off her scooter. That same year, K Ragupathi, a software engineer visiting from the US, died in Coimbatore after reportedly colliding with an illegal wooden arch erected across a main road. These tragedies lay bare the daily hazards that pedestrians and road users face because of illegal, unchecked hoardings. Flashy advertisements lining roads, signals, and flyovers have become an integral part of the everyday commute. But the threat they pose has only grown over time. Across Chennai, illegal banners continue to multiply with…

When the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) receives a complaint about a pungent odour, it may be one among many environmental issues that require attention. But for thousands of residents living along the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) corridor—from Thiruporur to Sholinganallur—it has become a recurring nightmare. For the past several years, families in this rapidly growing residential area have lived with a constant uncertainty, not knowing when the next wave of foul-smelling air will arrive. On many evenings, the stench hits after 7 pm. On other days, it surfaces much later—sometimes after 11 pm or in the early hours…

From a car plunging into a sinkhole on Old Mahabalipuram Road to a woman who recently died of electrocution in an open pit in Anna Nagar — Chennai faces perennial infrastructure issues that endanger public safety. Between 2017 and 2021, Tamil Nadu has witnessed 2,499 pothole-related accidents, leading to the death of 532 people. The state ranks third in the country for the number of registered vehicles, according to 2026 data. As more vehicles hit the road, shoddy roads can become death traps for motorists. Every year, the Greater Chennai Corporation works towards monsoon preparedness, but potholes invariably reappear. Residents…

The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) serves as the backbone of Chennai's urban mobility, carrying millions of residents every day and accounting for over 70% of the city's public transport share. As the transport utility expands its fleet with new buses and renovates shelters across Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) limits, evaluating the accessibility of this mode of public transit becomes important, especially around access points near the city’s informal settlements.  To what extent does the MTC bus shelter network provide accessible and adequate service to slum settlements? And, where should improvements be prioritised? That forms the basis of this study, which…

Every monsoon, South Chennai goes underwater. The only sponge that soaks up all that rain is the Pallikaranai Marsh, yet around it, 8,619 hectares of land face severe flood risks. Despite this, the State has offered to protect only a fraction of that land.  On October 9th, the Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority (TNSWA) told the Madras High Court  that the marsh's interim Zone of Influence (ZoI) is just 36 survey numbers, covering 128.19 hectares. The next hearing of the case is on November 11th.  Scattered "protection"  These plots lie in bits and pieces across seven villages, from Pallikaranai to Perumbakkam.…

For B Kanchana, who frequents Chennai Beach Station on the Rapid Transit System (MRTS), train travel in the morning is comfortable and safe. But the platform itself is in dire need of renovation, lacks signboards or announcements and makes her feel vulnerable, says the administrative professional. Like Kanchana, residents and daily commuters point out the severe neglect across MRTS stations. Safety concerns peaked after the recent death of 55-year-old V Vijaya, whose body was found in a disused room at Thirumayilai MRTS station in October, a stark reminder of the hazards lurking in these public spaces. In Part 1 of…

தாம்பரம் மாநகராட்சியானது, கடந்த 2023 ஆம் ஆண்டு மாநகராட்சி உட்பட்ட அனைத்து பகுதிகளுக்கும் 24x7 மணி நேரமும் தடையற்ற குடிநீர் விநியோகத்தை உறுதி செய்யும் வகையில் ஒரு விரிவான திட்ட அறிக்கையைத் தயார் செய்திருந்தது. அந்தத் திட்ட அறிக்கை செயல்பாட்டுக்கு முழுமையாக வருவதற்கு முன்பே, 2026 -யில் தற்போதைய மக்கள் தொகை, நகர்ப்புற வளர்ச்சி, எதிர்கால குடிநீர் தேவை, தற்போதைய உட்கட்டமைப்பு மற்றும் திட்ட செலவினங்களைக் கருத்தில் கொண்டு குடிநீர் திட்டத்திற்கான மீண்டும் ஒரு விரிவான திட்ட அறிக்கை (DPR) பணி மேற்கொள்ளப்படுவதாகவும், முதற்கட்டமாக செம்பாக்கம், மாடம்பாக்கம், சிட்லபாக்கம், திருநீர்மலை, பெருங்குளத்தூர், பீர்க்கங்கரணை ஆகிய ஆறு பகுதிகளை உள்ளடக்கிய குடிநீர் விநியோகத்திற்கு அரசு-தனியார் பங்கேற்பு (PPP) முறையில் ஆய்வு மற்றும் பரிந்துரை பணிகளை மேற்கொள்ளுவதற்கு அரசு அதிகாரப்பூர்வமாக டெண்டர் விட்டுள்ளது. மக்களின் அத்தியாவசியத் தேவைகளான குடிநீர் விநியோகத் திட்டத்தில் தனியார் பங்களிப்பை இணைப்பது குறித்து பொதுமக்களிடம் போதிய ஆலோசனை மற்றும் கருத்துக்கேட்பு…

In Chengalpattu district, the main water channels of the Kovalam-Nemmeli coastal wetland, which drains a catchment of more than 270 square kilometres, have currently been blocked. Barriers that obstruct water flow have been built across Chennai's Buckingham Canal at three places: Thiruvidanthai-Vadanemmeli, near the Nemmeli-Thiruporur bridge, and Saluvankuppam. Earlier, we explored how the Mamallan Reservoir causes serious damage to the wetland’s ecology and how fishing livelihoods are affected. Field investigations by the Wetland Conservation Network have recorded the blockages preventing tidal exchange in the Buckingham Canal.           According to officials, these barriers were put up to enable construction of the Mamallan…

In September, Rabiya HM found herself dialling the railway police helpline, 139, during her 60-kilometre daily commute on Chennai's Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS). "At Park Station, a stranger was keeping an eye on me, and when I boarded the ladies' compartment, he followed me onto the next compartment, kept staring, and got off at every station," says the 28-year-old IT employee. Her calls did not go through until Taramani and the mandated police personnel were absent for over an hour. Eventually, Rabiya’s co-passengers intervened and forced the man to deboard. Rabiya’s experience is an everyday reality rather than the…

Over the past two decades, Chennai has weathered a tsunami, repeated floods, and now, according to a new study, a rapidly worsening mix of heat and rain. Heatwave-preconditioned extreme rainfall events in the Chennai Metropolitan Area have nearly tripled over four decades, rising from an average of 1.2 events a year between 1982 and 1991 to 3.2 events a year between 2012 and 2021. When a heatwave comes before the rain, the same study finds, the population exposed to flooding rises elevenfold and the number of buildings affected rises seven-fold. A separate assessment projects that heatwave days in the city…