GENRE: Report

Children and adults pedalling to school, work and play — this was a common sight on Pune's streets not so long ago. Once known for its vibrant cycling culture, the city still has many groups and communities that promote non-motorised transport. However, with the rise of motorised vehicles, cycling has not only taken a back seat, but has also become unsafe and inconvenient due to poor infrastructure. This is despite Pune having dedicated cycle tracks and lanes. The decline in cycling infrastructure is reiterated by a recent audit, which found that only 11% of cycle tracks in Pune fell in…

Chennai’s unregulated urbanisation has destroyed its water bodies and disrupted its natural drainage systems. This is true for the Kodungaiyur Canal System in North Chennai which includes the Ambattur, Korattur and Retteri lakes. This crucial waterway is designed to drain floodwaters into the Ennore Creek but is marred by encroachments and illegal sewage discharge. In fact, Kodungaiyur Lake, a part of Kosasthalaiyar and Cooum basin, is one of the lakes that has been eaten up and has been reduced to narrow canals because of human activity and government negligence. Flooding in encroached area, vulnerable groups affected During a datajam organised…

Saul Kere, a lake off Sarjapur Road, was once a thriving habitat for birds. “When I started birding regularly in  2019, I had observed nearly 180 species of birds here,” Bijoy Venugopal, a birder and environmentalist, recalls. “Even during our latest bird walk on December 7th, we recorded 67 species of birds, more than what you would see at some bird sanctuaries.” However, the number of birds has declined, mainly due to effluent inflow. E-bird, a public data forum, has a record of 213 bird species in Saul Kere. That is the richness of the biodiversity of the Saul Kere…

When the northeast monsoon hits Chennai, a foreseeable result of the heavy downpour is severe flooding in several areas, including Porur Lake. As residents living near this 200-acre water body battle inundation every year, our team set out to investigate the root causes of flooding using available data. Environmental issues have often been dealt with a one-size-fits-all approach, but our study aimed to provide specific solutions tailored to the Porur catchment area. For this, we mapped inundation patterns, land gradient, land use change and the outlay of stormwater drains (SWDs).   At a recent datajam organised by the Oorvani Foundation…

Mumbai’s L Ward, covering Kurla, Chandivali, Saki Naka, and Powai, has been quietly heating up, and not just metaphorically. It is a ward of extremes: dense slums on one side, luxury high-rises and malls on the other. But when the mercury rises, the contrasts fade, and everyone feels the burn. With urban heat on the rise across the city, L Ward is emerging as one of Mumbai’s hotspots where everyday life is increasingly being shaped by climate stress. The heat problem Spread across 15.6 sq km, L Ward is home to more than nine lakh people, packed into one of…

In 2015, when her infant daughter began wheezing, Subashini R purchased a machine she had only ever seen in hospitals. Daily trips from Kattukuppam in north Chennai to Tondiarpet Hospital were expensive, costing at least ₹500 then. Although the nebuliser cost four times her daily healthcare expenses, it reduced long-term costs in a region struggling with the lasting effects of pollution. “Every doctor tells locals to leave the region due to the chemicals here,” says the activist, part of the Save Ennore Creek Campaign. A decade later, nearly every household in Ennore has a nebuliser. Her younger daughter now suffers…

Thirteen-year-old Rohan (name changed), a little shy and very happy, envelops his mother in a spontaneous bear hug as three of his teachers and therapists compliment and tease him playfully. We are at Rohan’s house in one of the bylanes of a bustling informal settlement in Dharavi. His mother, Mayadevi Jagannathan, cradling a two-year-old daughter, beams proudly as she says that now Rohan even helps her by keeping an eye on his younger siblings. This is significant for Mayadevi and Rohan’s therapists. Born with intellectual disabilities, he has come a long way, from not attending school as a child to now…

On October 30 this year, Bengaluru municipal authorities dumped garbage on the doorsteps of 218 households. This was part of an awareness drive, 'Kasa Suriyuva Habba' (Garbage Dumping Festival) by Greater Bengaluru Authority and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML). The agencies also collected a fine of ₹2.8 lakhs. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management is a major problem in the city. Blackspots are making the 'garden city' dirty and affecting public health. They are also a cause and consequence of poor segregation, which could affect the waste processing. And, experts agree that stricter enforcements are needed to deter street dumping…

The constant looking over one's shoulder, being followed on the street, inappropriate touch and harassment on public transportation — every woman is familiar with this narrative. It was these issues that were highlighted when groups of young women in Mumbai were asked to create tableaux, depicting their everyday experiences, during a  recent theatre workshop. While the workshop facilitators did not set a specific theme, something striking happened. Group after group independently chose to portray the same issues: street harassment, eve teasing, gender discrimination and domestic violence. These were no longer just abstract concerns but pressing realities shaping how young women…

Temple Bells, a 900-flat residential community in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru, transforms nearly 4–5 tonnes of organic waste into compost every month. By prioritising segregation at source, the residents have drastically reduced what goes to the landfill and turned recyclable waste into a revenue stream. This not only generates income through sales but also saves on the Solid Waste Management (SWM) cess. The community follows the two-bin, one-bag system for collection — separate bins for wet and dry waste and a bag for sanitary waste. This ensures efficient source segregation. “In the beginning, getting everyone to follow it was challenging,” says…