GENRE: In Focus

Urbanisation has been progressing at a rapid pace globally, as people flock to cities in search of better lives and livelihoods. Cities have to 'create spaces' within and outside themselves to accommodate the growing population, but ad hoc expansion leads to environmental risks, high pollution levels and climate change. Chennai, where the population grew from 6.6 million in 2001 to 8.6 million in 2011 (as per the Census figures), has been no exception: The population explosion coupled with unplanned urbanisation raised land surface temperatures in Chennai during summer (March - May) by as much 5.8 degree C over the period…

The 2021-22 Union Budget announced the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban), an ambitious project that aims to provide potable tap water supply to 2.86 crore households by 2024. How will this work out for urban India? Urban India is fast hurtling towards a major water crisis in the years to come. A 2020 report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has projected that 30 Indian cities will face a ‘grave water risk’ by 2050 due to overcrowding in cities. A Niti Aayog report too had predicted that 21 Indian cities including New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad will run out of…

Translated by Sandhya Raju 2019-ம் ஆண்டில் சுற்றுச்சூழலை காக்கும் வாகன பயணத்திற்கு உத்வேகும் அளிக்கும் நோக்கில், அப்போதைய தமிழக முதல்வர் எடப்பாடி பழனிச்சாமி இரண்டு மின்சார பேருந்துகளை சோதனை ஓட்டத்திற்கு விட்டார். ஜூலை 2017-ன் முந்தைய சோதனை ஒட்டம் பிறகு இது இரண்டாவது சோதனை ஓட்டமாக இருந்தது. அசோக் லேலண்ட் நிறுவனத்தால் இயக்கப்பட்ட இந்த பேருந்து சென்னை சென்ட்ரலிருந்து திருவான்மியூர் வரையிலும், கோயம்பட்டிலிருந்து பிராட்வே வரையிலும் இரண்டு வழித்தடங்களில் இயக்கப்பட்டன. ஆனால், அதன் பிறகு இந்த புது தொழில்நுட்ப உபயோகம் கனவாகவே போனது. மின்சார வாகன பயணத்தை ஊகுவிக்கும் வகையில், தமிழக அரசு 2019-ல் மின்சார வாகனங்களுக்கான (ஈ.வி) கொள்கையை அறிமுகப்படுத்தியது. இதன் படி, போக்குவரத்து கழகம் அதனிடம் உள்ள சுமார் 5% வாகனங்களை மாற்ற முயற்சிக்கும் எனவும், ஒவ்வொரு ஆண்டும் சுமார் 1000 மின்சார பேருந்துகள் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்படும் எனவும் அந்த கொள்கை முடிவில் கூறப்பட்டது. இது அறிவிக்கப்பட்டு ஓராண்டு…

The unprecedented crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic and the multiple lockdowns has had a debilitating impact on every institution and agency in the city. Wildlife facilities in Chennai are no exception. With tourism being restricted, zoos and other facilities sheltering animals found themselves facing a serious fund crunch to the extent that it became difficult for them to even maintain their regular activities. Wildlife facilities in Chennai are home to a number of threatened and endangered species too, that require special care. While the institutions maintain that conservation activities have not suffered due to the pandemic, some of them have…

Vaccination for children below 18 years against COVID-19 has become a vexed issue in India after some experts expressed the fear that the third wave is likely to affect children more. Presently, the United States, Canada and the European Union, have begun vaccinating children, with priority for children with comorbidities.  However, most other countries, including India, continue to prioritise vaccinating the 45+ age group, particularly senior citizens, who are the most vulnerable to developing severe infection requiring hospitalization.  The result of the fourth round of national serosurvey that was conducted in 70 districts in June-July revealed that 67.6% people have…

The pandemic has had a crushing impact on the educational framework of the country in various ways. One of the fall-outs has been the cancellation of Class XII (and Class X) final examinations by all the major boards of education in the country, in view of the aggressive second wave of COVID-19. However, under the said circumstances, each has come out with a different model of evaluation for Class XII students. The results of Tamil Nadu State Board Class XII were declared on June 19, 2021. For the first time ever, students got their results on their registered mobile number,…

The compulsions of demand and supply are dictating the state of affairs for migrant workers across the country after the second COVID wave. The packed trains from states like UP, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal are an indicator of the rush of reverse migration after the hellish return-to-home experience of last year. But as workers return, they are finding that employment conditions are not the same as earlier.  Migrant labour employed in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the most affected. As per government data, India has around 6.3 crore MSMEs. Delhi-based All India Trade Union Congress Secretary General Amarjeet Kaur…

Nitrogen dioxide or NO2 pollution in Chennai is back to pre-pandemic levels, shows a recent report by the non-governmental environmental organization, Greenpeace India. In fact, among all the cities studied by the researchers, Chennai recorded the second highest spike over a year as lockdown conditions were relaxed.  Greenpeace studied NO2 levels in eight Indian cities using measurements made by the Tropomi sensor on Sentinel-5P satellite. The satellite observations of April 2020 and 2021 revealed a 125% spike in NO2 levels in Delhi followed by 94% in Chennai. This not only increases the vulnerability of citizens to respiratory and circulatory issues, but…

City authorities tell us that over 50% of Delhi’s urban area is regarded as “open” and more than 20% is “green”. Yet, those keeping a keen eye on the city and its development say “we are far from providing universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces”. This is one of the many issues of concern in India’s capital that is sometimes boasted of as being world class — thanks to iconic British era structures, Mogul monuments and the Delhi  Metro — and yet very difficult for the average Delhiite to be comfortable in. Will that change? More importantly,…

The fresh, glistening, almost seemingly transparent prawns caught from Ennore was once a prime delicacy for seafood lovers in the city. But that is merely the stuff of memories now. In place of the succulent prawns of the past, one can only find dark, fatty prawns that no longer feed as much on worms as on the fly ash deposited by the thermal power stations in the waters of Ennore. “Prawns caught from the rivers of Palaverkadu and Kosasthalaiyar saw huge demand, both locally and internationally. Ash-coloured prawns (Sambal era in Tamil) form the majority of the catch now and…