GENRE: Explainers

Urban Heat Islands (UHI) are areas within cities that experience significantly higher temperatures than their rural counterparts due to human activities, concretisation, and lack of vegetation. Bengaluru, the fifth most populous metropolis (Census of India, 2011) and one of the rapidly growing cities in India, is no exception. In the last two decades, the city has seen a rapid rise in built-up area from 37.4% to 93.3%. The pressure of urbanisation has not only affected the natural and ecological resources but is also impacting the city’s livability because of rising temperature levels. Unlike sudden disaster events like landslides or floods,…

Groundwater is a vital resource in Chennai, especially given the city's water scarcity challenges. Of the 51 revenue blocks in Chennai where groundwater is extracted, 46 were overexploited in 2024, as reported by Citizen Matters. That's why strict rules are in place to ensure sustainable usage and to prevent over-extraction. Chennai is the first Indian city to have a comprehensive automatic groundwater monitoring system, introduced in 2021, with 200 groundwater monitoring devices and 20 rain gauges across 15 zones, to assess the groundwater level across the city. However, experts point out that not much is being done with this data.…

In its 2025-26 budget, the BMC declared that it would start levying water charges on unmetered properties. To this end they have already started a survey of properties to fix a rate for these water charges. But what does this mean for the people of Mumbai? Who will be affected by this? Here’s what you should know about the decision that the BMC has taken. What is an unmetered property? Any premises which does not have a meter to measure the consumption of water is called an unmetered property. Most unmetered properties are in Mumbai City (excluding the suburban districts).…

The dependency on the Cauvery River for water and the depleting groundwater levels, keep Bengaluru on the edge of a crisis every summer. As the city expands rapidly, it faces a significant challenge – how to manage groundwater sustainably, while meeting the growing demand. Borewells are a common solution for water needs, but strict regulations govern their digging and usage. Bengaluru is classified as a 'notified area', due to overextraction in many places, so borewell digging and extraction are strictly regulated.  However, poor implementation of rules by civic utility bodies undermines their effectiveness. So, how can a Bengalurean dig a…

உங்கள் வீட்டிற்கு வழங்கப்படும் தண்ணீர் விசித்திரமான வாசனையை வீசுகிறதா அல்லது உலோக சுவையை வெளிப்படுத்துகிறதா? சென்னையில் குடிநீர் மாசுபடுவது குறித்த கவலைகள் அதிகரித்து வரும் நிலையில், சென்னை மக்கள் தங்கள் குழாய்களில் இருந்து தரமான தண்ணீர் மட்டும்தான் வருகிறதா என்று கேள்வி எழுப்ப இது ஒரு இது சரியான நேரம். ஐஐடி-மெட்ராஸ் நடத்திய ஆய்வில், சென்னையில் உள்ள 75% வீடுகளில் உள்ள தண்ணீர் வயிற்றுப்போக்கு மற்றும் வாந்தியை ஏற்படுத்தும் பாக்டீரியாவான ஈ.கோலையால் (E. coli) மாசுபட்டுள்ளது தெரியவந்துள்ளது. மேலும், பக்கிங்ஹாம் கால்வாய், அடையாறு ஆறு மற்றும் செம்பரம்பாக்கம் ஏரி போன்ற முக்கிய நீர்நிலைகளில் ஃபாரெவர் கெமிக்கல்ஸ்  (forever chemicals or pre- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)) எனப்படும் தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் இரசாயனங்கள் இருப்பதை ஐஐடி-மெட்ராஸின் மற்றொரு ஆய்வில் கண்டறிந்துள்ளது. அருகிலுள்ள நீர் சுத்திகரிப்பு நிலையத்திலிருந்து (WTP) எடுக்கப்பட்ட மாதிரிகளும் மாசுபட்டிருப்பது கண்டறியப்பட்டது.. இந்த PFAS என்பது கல்லீரல் பாதிப்பு, ஹார்மோன்…

If you ask those who grew up in Mumbai in the 80s what they associate with Vihar Lake, most likely they will say the Humpty Dumpty statue and the annual school picnic on the lake’s banks. Vihar and six other artificial lakes, built over the past two centuries, still meet the majority of Mumbai’s water demand.According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which undertakes the humongous task of water provision to the city, its water supply system is the largest in Asia. BMC distributes around 4,000 million litres of water per day (MLD) to over three million Mumbaikars. Yet, many…

Bengaluru gets its water from a reservoir 90 kilometres away and 350 metres below the city's elevation. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has to spend approximately  ₹3 crore daily on electricity charges to pump this water to meet only half the city's needs. This is for the four stages of Cauvery water supply, which provide 1,460 Million Litres a Day (MLD). With Cauvery Stage 5 delivering an additional 750 MLD, the costs are expected to rise significantly. On the other hand, the BWSSB, based on the findings of a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science…

The blanket of haze that shrouds most big cities in India has grown denser as air quality continues to dip. Last winter was no different with pollution levels soaring way above permissible limits and posing major risks to public health.      A recent analysis of winter pollution during 2024-25 by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) highlights alarming pollution trends in India's megacities, with Delhi leading with the worst air quality. Even megacities outside the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) have seen escalating air quality challenges, despite relatively favourable climatic conditions.  One significant trend across cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai,…

Does the water supplied to your home smell strange or taste metallic? With growing concerns over drinking water contamination in Chennai, it is a wake-up call for residents to question what is coming out of their taps. A survey conducted by IIT-Madras revealed that water in 75% of city homes is contaminated with E. coli, a bacteria responsible for causing diarrhoea and vomiting. Moreover, another IIT-Madras study discovered the presence of harmful chemicals known as forever chemicals or pre- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in major water bodies such as the Buckingham Canal, Adyar River, and Chembarambakkam Lake. Samples from a…

In the first part of this series, we explored the legal and practical challenges faced by apartment owners and associations and the need for clarity about the legislations that govern apartment ownership in Karnataka. Part 2 focused on frequently asked questions about the registration of apartment associations and took a closer look at the regulatory landscape in the State. Effective management of apartment associations is critical to ensure the smooth functioning of residential communities. However, disputes over maintenance charges, redevelopment processes, financial mismanagement and compliance with legal norms often create conflicts between stakeholders. Part 3 of our series on apartment…