GENRE: Report

As the Northeast monsoon intensifies in Tamil Nadu, the fishing community in Ennore has asked the State government to clear blockages and encroachments along the Kosasthalaiyar River and Ennore backwaters. In an open letter addressed to K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, Minister for Revenue, District Revenue Establishment, Deputy Collectors for Disaster Management and P Amudha, Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, the fishers point out that these blockages are affecting the health of the Ennore wetlands and could cause flooding in Chennai, if not cleared. While the services of the fishers and fishing boats are called upon every monsoon for flood rescue,…

We are standing ankle-deep in muck mixed with construction debris on the banks of the Ulhas River on a grey, cloudy day with rain lashing down. I am with Vicky Patil of the environmental NGO Vanashakti. Mounds of construction waste surround us. This is a Coastal Regulation I Zone (CRZ I). Vicky explains that Vanashakti filed a complaint with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) about dumping debris in a CRZ I zone and even visited the site with them. During the visit, a local informed them that the waste was coming from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), which was…

“Before we knew it, the truck had started, and it hit me. I was on the side where it hit, and it dragged us. There were big rocks kept as dividers on the road. Thankfully we didn’t hit those. Luckily, the truck stopped because it was not in full speed. The glass which was on my side fully shattered,” narrates Jyotsna Morris. In 2019, Jyotsna was coming from Navi Mumbai to Kandivali by an Uber cab. The road was badly jammed, and the driver decided taking the service road would be quicker, though on the wrong side. While trying to cross…

In the OpenCity Bengaluru Design Jam on BBMP, our team analysed and debated the bylaws and zoning rules governing civic amenities, parks and open spaces in the city. As a diverse group of spatial thinkers and design creatives, we sought to understand what liveability meant for citizens navigating the urban landscape, and how building and zoning laws address our needs and the city’s densifying future. Urbanisation is transforming cities worldwide, significantly impacting the quality of life both socio-economically and environmentally. In democratic societies, livability crises affect and are affected by the different levels of urban growth and how cities are…

Bengaluru generates about 6,000 tonnes of solid waste everyday. As the city has grown, so have the challenges of solid waste management (SWM). As per this report from The New Indian Express, the city has seven landfills and six waste-processing units, which have not been upgraded for close to a decade now. With no BBMP elections since 2020 and general attitude of the people that their garbage ought to be someone else's problem, SWM has hit a black spot. Administrative flip flops In 2023, the BBMP floated 89 tenders for the collection and transportation (C&T) of municipal solid waste from…

Garbage has a locality. On any given street in Bengaluru, certain spots are unofficially designated as waste spaces by the public. These areas, marked by piles of trash bags, walls with peeling plaster, and litter strewn about, reflect a broader issue. With a population of 1.4 crores, according to the World Population Review, waste management issues in Bengaluru are of growing importance.  Despite awareness campaigns, the problem of littering has become worse over the years. In this scenario, community organisations take to the streets to address the problem of waste, playing a crucial role in cleaning up the city. Tackling…

As a very young working professional at my first job, I was once required to take a long leave to be care-giver to two family members. A much older male colleague, knowing my situation, started calling me every day, making me feel highly uncomfortable. Each time the landline rang, my heart would thud in my chest, and my legs would get wobbly. I had no one to turn to, to ask for help or advice. Finally, gathering all the courage I could muster, and summoning my sternest voice, I told him I did not want to talk to him. In my…

The extension of 3rd Cross road in Vijayanagar is like any emerging neighbourhood in Bengaluru, with houses packed like boxes on either side. This led us to explore the role of regulations in shaping our buildings, streets and city at large. We presented our findings at the ‘Bengaluru Design Jam’, organised by organised by OpenCity, and held on July 6th. The participants collaborated to analyse and interpret different aspects of BBMP’s construction bye-laws.  The changes and growth of cities are often guided by economic activities. But the development of cities needs to be managed and regulated to ensure liveability. This…

In the past few months, heavy traffic jams in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) have led to suggestions of drastic measures. Mumbai’s guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha has proposed that the dedicated cycle tracks at BKC be scrapped and merged with the main vehicular road to accommodate more vehicles.  This has led to much debate about the fate of the BKC cycling track, Mumbai’s first and longest stretch of planned cycling track. However, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) is yet to officially declare its intent and whether it will act upon Lodha’s suggestion.  However, the cycling track which…

On May 13,  a 140 X 120 feet billboard erected in 2022 collapsed in Ghatkopar, killing 17 people and injuring 74. It clearly violated the permissible limit of 40 X 40 feet specified by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). It was reported that the advertising agency, Ego Media, which had put up the hoarding had been leased a total of nine billboards by the Government Railway Police (GRP)—four at Ghatkopar and five more at Dadar Tilak Bridge. Moreover, the due tendering process was followed only for three of them. Terms and conditions in the tender document related to the Ghatkopar…