GENRE: Explainers

The revelation of several old and recent cases of child sexual abuse in schools in Chennai and its suburbs has left the city in shock. Educational institutions no longer appear to be the safe spaces that they were meant to be. But can an institution be held responsible for crimes committed by individuals within their premises? What should they do to ensure justice for the survivors of such abuse. More importantly, how can they prevent the occurrence of such abhorrent crimes in the space?  The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 says that any school, institution or…

With everything in short supply — hospital beds, ICU beds, medicines, vaccines and even crematoriums and burial sites — desperate patients and citizen groups who were getting no help from the state appealed to the courts hoping they could force the government to get its act together. The Supreme Court and some High Courts also took suo moto notice of the situation and passed orders stressing upon governments’ responsibilities and actions to be taken. One significant, if controversial, step taken early by the Supreme Court was to take cognizance of issues on COVID-19 pending before six High Courts, Delhi, Bombay,…

Translated by Sandhya Raju கோடை காலம் தொடங்கும் முன்னரே, ஏப்ரல் மாதத்தில் சேலையூரில் உள்ள எஸ். வேலு வீட்டிலுள்ள இரண்டு ஆழ்துளை கிணறு வற்றிப்போனது. மூன்றாவதாக, 600 அடி ஆழத்தில் மற்றொரு கிணறு தோண்டியதில், அதிலும் தண்ணீர் ஊற்றெடுக்கவில்லை. தற்போது தண்ணீர் லாரி மற்றும் நகராட்சி நீர் வழங்கலை நம்பி உள்ளார் வேலு. 2019-ம் ஆண்டு போல் சென்னையில் தண்ணீர் தட்டுப்பாடு இல்லையென்றாலும், நகரத்தின் பல்வேறு இடங்களில் நிலத்தடி நீர் வற்றிப்போக தொடங்கியுள்ளது. இதனால், குடிநீர் வாரியம் வழங்கும் தண்ணீரையே பெரும்பாலான வீடுகளும், தொழிற்சாலைகளும் நம்பியுள்ளன. வீடுகள் மற்றும் தொழிற்சாலைகளின் கூடுதல் நீர் தேவையை பூர்த்தி செய்வதில் நிலத்தடி நீருக்கு முக்கிய பங்கு உண்டு. ஆனால், இதன் தொடர் உபயோகத்தால், சென்னயின் நீர் அட்டவணை கடும் வீழ்ச்சியடைந்துள்ளது. 1970-ம் ஆண்டு வரை, சென்னையில் பெரும்பாலான பகுதிகளில் நிலத்தடி நீர் திறந்தவெளி கிணறுகளிலிருந்து கைகளால் இறைக்கப்பட்டதாக ஒரு அறிக்கை தெரிவிக்கிறது. 70ம்…

The recent exposé in the social media on sexual harassment of students by some school teachers in Chennai has shocked the city. But while there is outrage across the city, and rightfully so, there is perhaps not enough awareness about how to prevent or even seek redress against crimes of child sexual abuse. In the backdrop of the incidents that have come to light recently, it becomes even more important for parents, teachers, caregivers and society as a whole to know more about the legislations, law & order framework as well as institutions that work for protection of children. Here…

As one of India’s largest and most populous metros, Chennai exhibits all the traits and vulnerabilities inherent to a developing, high-density city. Rapid urbanization has led to pollution, poverty and energy and water scarcity.  However, one of the key issues with the city is a pronounced lack of civic consciousness. Resilience working group sessions (led by the  Resilient Cities Network chapter in Chennai) involved experts from government, civil and academic bodies. They concluded that in order to achieve sustainable development goals and build resilience, civil ownership and participation was essential. These are the top three areas where citizen participation and involvement…

Healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes normally see a continuous flow of people. Almost all of them operate on a 24x7 basis. Hospitals are not only required to take care of patients but must ensure that their safety is prioritised. Fire accidents at healthcare facilities should not force anyone to run for their life. Ever since COVID-19 made an appearance, medical facilities have been stretched beyond their capacity. Right in the middle of the pandemic, when work load of hospitals has been on an all-time high, there have been several instances of hospital fires resulting in tragedies, across…

Even before summer had set in officially, the two borewells at S Velu’s residence in Selaiyur turned dry in April. In search of water, he dug another borewell as deep as 600 feet, but that too failed to yield any water. Velu is now at the mercy of water tankers and municipal water supply and uses water sparingly. Although Chennai’s water situation is not as alarming or critical as it was in 2019, groundwater resources in several pockets of the city are reportedly drying up. As a result, besides using water supplied by the Metrowater agency, many households and industries…

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast 2021 to be the hottest summer season in recent years in many parts of the country. On March 24th, Delhi recorded the hottest day of the month in  76 years. In fact, 2019 was the seventh warmest year in the history of humankind after 1901.  Summers in India are becoming increasingly unbearable and cities are finding it hard to cope with heat wave related incidents. A study by scientists at IIT Gandhinagar has forecast an eight fold rise in heat wave related incidents in the country if the global community fails to check…

With ever growing and rapidly changing Indian cities, the gamut of issues that are affecting them are not only growing, but are becoming very specific to the local context. Decision-makers and designers are rethinking urban design to make cities more liveable and public spaces more accessible and safe. Tactical urbanism is gaining popularity as a method to tackle these issues. What's tactical urbanism?  Tactical urbanism is all about action. It is also known as DIY urbanism, Planning-by-Doing, Urban Acupuncture, or Urban Prototyping. This approach refers to a city, organisational, and/or citizen-led approach to building neighbourhoods by using short-term, low-cost, and…

Cities, past and present, have been often created in the image of its rulers. Indian cities, in particular, have been witness to the rise and fall of dynasties and empires, reflected in their ever shifting character. However, amongst all its grand constructions for the people, there exists within the urban fabric a continuous patchwork of creations by the people.  While the concept of a planned city traces its roots to ancient civilisations like the Indus Valley, Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilisations, the scale of modern cities is unprecedented. Burgeoning populations and rising densities created the need for a visionary document to…