GENRE: Explainers

Bengaluru, once known as the 'City of Lakes', has made national and international headlines as the 'City of Burning Lakes'. Lakes in Bengaluru have caught fire several times - mostly at Bellandur lake, but also in other parts of the city. The fire burns for hours, polluting the air with smoke and creating a public health hazard. Bellandur Lake, the city’s largest lake, has burst into flames many times in the recent past. The first instance was in May 2015, and then again in August 2016, February 2017, and January 2018. The 2018 fire lasted 30 hours, with smoke engulfing…

“My friend’s son failed in his 12th standard exams. He took his life that evening” - Shikha* “I myself had attempted suicide once. I was 23/24 then and straddled with a baby and a mom-in-law with the most acidic tongue, who kept telling me how ugly, dark and unsuitable I was for her dashing, talented son. Little did I know then that she wasn't able to handle clear thinking, razor sharp minds and smart women. She felt that she could control me better if she put me down every time.” - Prerana* The above are just two examples of the…

Translated by Sandhya Raju இரண்டே மாதத்தில், சென்னையில் கோவிட் தொற்று 24000 என்ற எண்ணிக்கையை தொட்டுள்ளது. பொருளாதார காரணங்களை கருத்தில் கொண்டு, சில பகுதிகளில் ஊரடங்கை அரசு தளர்த்தியது. பல பகுதிகளில் கடைகள், முடி திருத்த நிலையங்கள், உணவகங்கள் மீண்டும் தங்கள் வர்த்தகத்தை தொடங்கியுள்ளன. இன்னும் சில காலத்திற்கு தொற்றுடன் வாழ மக்கள் பழகிக்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்பதே நிதர்சன உண்மையாகியுள்ளது. கோவிட் பிறகான வாழ்க்கை முறையில், முக கவசம், அடிக்கடி கை கழுவுதல், தனி மனித விலகல் ஆகியவற்றை தொடர்ந்து கடைப்பிடிக்க வேண்டும். தற்போதுள்ள சூழலில், தொடந்து நம்மை பாதுகாத்து கொள்ள கீழே உள்ள சில நடைமுறைகளை கடைப்பிடித்தல் அவசியம்: கோவிட் தொற்று உள்ளவர்களுக்கு வீட்டு தனிமைப்படுத்தல் ஆலோசனை மாநில சுகாதாரத் துறையின் திருத்தப்பட்ட விதிமுறைகள் படி, தொற்று அறிகுறி அல்லாத அல்லது ஆரம்பகட்ட அறிகுறி உள்ளவர்கள், தங்களை வீட்டிலேயே தனிமைப்படுத்திக் கொள்ள வேண்டும். சென்னை மாநகராட்சி இவர்களுக்கான வழிக்காட்டியை…

It took Chennai just two months to hit the 24,000-mark in COVID-positive counts. Economic compulsions, however, have led the administration to take steps towards easing restrictions in some areas. Stand alone shops, salons and dine-in restaurants have resumed operations in a number of areas. And it is increasingly becoming evident that people will have to learn to live with the virus for some more time to come. Masking up, frequent handwashing, physical distancing - these are some of the steps that we must follow as we gradually adapt to life in a post-COVID world. Below are a few standard protocols…

While providing much-needed relief from the heat, the monsoon also cripples Bengaluru with a whole lot of problems every year. Top among them are flooding of roads and clogging of stormwater drains. On June 1, the state government published a list of eight teams - one for each of the eight BBMP zones - to prepare for and respond to this year's monsoon. The teams have members from six departments - Forest, BESCOM, Fire and Emergency Services, BWSSB, BBMP and Traffic Police. The BBMP's Storm Water Drain (SWD) Department has also identified 211 vulnerable SWDs, which have to be worked…

Last week, the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services released new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for travellers entering Karnataka. The new SOPs offer many relaxations, particularly for inter-state and inter-district travellers. Inter-district travellers no longer need to be screened at the point of entry and don’t have to undergo institutional quarantine, while inter-state travellers have been given a way out of it. Here are the new rules for travelling to Karnataka during Lockdown 4.0: Inter-District Travel CategoryQuarantineTestingCategory 1 (Symptomatic)* Screened at point of origin (bus station, railway station)* Symptomatic passengers will be referred to fever clinicsDecided at fever clinicCategory…

Even as it was grappling with increasing COVID-19 cases, on April 21, the Karnataka government swiftly notified the Zonal Regulations (Amendment), 2020 (ZRA). The new regulations are aimed at conserving heritage sites, buildings, precincts and natural features. They will apply to Zonal Regulations/Master Plans of all local planning areas in the state, including Bengaluru. ZRA specifies rules for identifying and preserving the state’s heritage, and conservationists, by large, have welcomed it. With ZRA, Bengaluru would have a dedicated authority to identify and protect a wide range of heritage sites including natural features. However, there are concerns about the composition of…

Bengaluru’s lakes have been in the news for pollution, froth, fish kill and even fire. Despite the government investing crores of rupees into reviving these lakes, and widespread citizen engagement, not much has changed. While the main reason is the lack of coordination between government departments, the absolute lack of science-based solutions is also a major gap. In this context, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and Biome Environmental Trust (BIOME) have developed the ‘Bangalore Citizen Science Lakes Dashboard’ to share knowledge and best practices for better management of lakes. We created a series of system…

With the country entering the fourth phase of lockdown in the COVID battle, relaxations on movement have been granted leading to more people entering states from within and outside the country. Tamil Nadu, too, has seen more people come in since relaxations were put in place. Accordingly, testing and quarantine rules have been revised for those entering the state, with certain exemptions. What do you need to do if you have to come to Chennai now? Here's a quick explainer: How can you enter Tamil Nadu? At present, Shramik trains for migrant workers are allowed entry into Chennai. Air travel…

On May 18, Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal appealed to migrant workers to stay where they were, as the railways planned to double the number of Shramik Trains to 400 per day in two days. He also said that an additional 200 non-AC trains would be operational by June 1. While this increased capacity is a welcome sign, will it be enough to service Bengaluru's stranded workers? A large number of Bengaluru's workers are walking thousands of kilometres to their home states, as the efforts of the governments to arrange transportation has fallen short of the exploding demand. "The Labour…