COVID-19

Mini transfer stations to process waste To strengthen decentralised waste collection, BBMP will set up 50 mini transfer stations. Waste collected by auto-tippers and push carts, instead of being loaded onto compactor trucks, will be brought to the mini transfer stations. The stations will process waste from two wards each. According to BBMP, this system will reduce garbage transfer points as well as black spots in the city. It will also ensure there is no leakage of garbage residue from compactor trucks. Besides, fewer garbage vehicles will be required, which in turn will reduce air pollution. Only four waste processing…

Harish Ghaware, who drove private tourist cabs plying between Pune and Mumbai, ferried his last passenger on Gudi Padwa (Marathi New Year) in March. “Then came the lockdown and I could no longer drive the tourist cab.”  But Harish had to keep the kitchen fire burning and like many others, realised that at that point only essential goods would sell. “I took to buying vegetables from the villages on the outskirts of Pune and selling them in the city,” he says. “In the middle of the night, I would travel to Manjri, Loni, Narayangaon, Chakan in a tempo to buy…

Raj Rani, a 45-year-old household help residing in Kaimbwala, is a worried woman these days. Six months after COVID 19 hit the nation, her family income has halved and no new employment has come her way. “Earlier I used to earn Rs 10,000 to 12,000 per month, now it is down to Rs 6000 to Rs 7000,” says Raj Rani, whose case is typical of all labourers living at the margins of society. Her two sons, one employed as a driver and the second working with a local contractor, have also lost their jobs. As has her husband Ram Rattan,…

The Technical Advisory Committee of the Government of Karnataka gave clarifications on the use of masks, on October 27. Following is a press release from the BBMP based on this. Use of masks in public places Whether a person driving alone in a four-wheeler with the window glasses closed should wear a mask?Answer: Wearing a mask is mandatory. (a) Whether an individual driving alone in a four-wheeler without any fellow traveller in the car should wear a mask If the window glasses are open and the car is parked near the traffic signal? (b) If he opens the window glasses…

ஒருங்கிணைந்த குழந்தை வளர்ச்சித் திட்டத்தின் கீழ் செயல்பட்டு வரும் அங்கன்வாடி மையங்கள் நமது கவனத்தை அவ்வளவாக கவராமல் இருந்திருக்கலாம். ஆனால், தற்போது கொரோனா தொற்று காரணமாக அவை மூடப்பட்டிருக்கும் வேளையில் தான் அவற்றின் இருப்பும் சேவையும் எவ்வளவு மகத்தானது என்பதை நம்மால் உணர முடிகிறது. இம்மையங்கள் அதன் சுற்றுப்புறத்தில் வசிக்கும் குழந்தைகளின் ஆரம்பக்கல்விக்கான ஒரு அஸ்திவாரத்தை இடுவது மட்டுமின்றி அவர்களுக்கு ஊட்டச்சத்து மற்றும் உணவளிப்பதோடு மற்றும் அடிப்படை மருத்துவ தேவைகளையும் அளிக்கும் மையங்களாக செயல்பட்டு வந்துள்ளன.‘ அத்துடன் ஒரு குழந்தைகள் காப்பகமாகவும் அப்பகுதி வாழ் மக்களுக்கு அளப்பரிய சேவை செய்து வந்துள்ளன என்பது கூடுதல் அம்சமாகும். இப்பகுதியில் வாழும் குழந்தைகளுக்கான தடுப்பூசி மற்றும் போலியோ சொட்டு மருந்திற்கான முகாம்களும் இந்த மையங்களில் நடைபெறும்.  இவ்வாறாக, அதன் சுற்றுப்புறங்களில் வாழும் மக்களுக்கு அவர்தம் வாழ்க்கையின் ஒரு ஒன்றிணைந்த அங்கமாகவே மாறிவிட்ட அங்கன்வாடிகள் அடைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த காலகட்டம் எத்தகைய ஒரு விளைவினை ஏற்படுத்தியது என்பது குறித்து…

Pic: Pixabay.com Renuka lives in a three-bedroom house in upmarket Koramangala. Her children go to a prestigious school. She can afford these thanks to her rich clients and her three paying guests who too are sex workers.  But with her children home since lockdown, she can no longer entertain clients at home. The paying guests could not afford the rent and have gone back to their villages. One of her clients died after contracting COVID-19 a week after visiting her. She got herself tested and was relieved when results came negative. Once lockdown eased, her clients began to pester her,…

The narrow lane of Koya Arunagiri Street in Royapettah leads to the house of R S Venkatesan, a seasoned potter, who has made Chennai his home. Although it is just 5.30 am, he and his wife Vasanthi V are already up and busy with their work. A potter’s wheel, a bunch of firewood logs, dried cow dung cake and other paraphernalia lie scattered around their compound.  Koya Arunagiri Street runs just behind the Royapettah Hospital in Chennai. Years ago, the entire stretch was known for the potters who lived here. Venkatesan informs me that over the years, many from the…

2021 deadline for 100% waste segregation, collection The state government approved a new SWM (Solid Waste Management) policy and strategy, which sets 2021 as the deadline for segregation of waste at source and for 100% door-to-door collection, as well as laying out guidelines to protect the health and dignity of pourakarmikas. The Karnataka State Urban SWM Policy-2020 lays out a road map for Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including BBMP, to implement time-bound measures. The burning of waste should be stopped by December 2021 and ULBs should ensure that less than 30% of their waste reaches landfills. ULBs should also ensure…

In the last few months, Bengaluru has seen rapid changes in its COVID tally. What's the current situation in the city? Are cases likely to reduce? Are death rates really reducing? Following are some key takeaways based on an analysis of data from the last few months. Number of positive cases per day has been decreasing Bengaluru seems to have hit the highest per-day cases on October 8, with 5121 cases. Since then, per-day case count has been on a decreasing trend. Considering previous seven days' average data, we reached the peak on October 12 and cases have been reducing…

Each year at Dasara, Malleswaram 8th Cross turns into a vibrant, festive street, owing to its many temples and commercial areas. It attracts thousands of people each day from all over the city. However, this year, the same packed streets pose a health hazard for residents and visitors due to the potential for spread of COVID. 8th Cross, October 2, 15 days before Dasara 8th Cross, October 16, one day to Dasara Keeping this in mind, Malleswaram Urban Living Lab - a collaboration between Malleswaram Social, a resident community group, and Sensing Local, an urban do-tank - has been working…