GENRE: Solutions

On the last Sunday of every month, a lane in Mumbai's Shivaji Park becomes a collection point for dry waste. Residents bring paper, plastic, glass, e-waste, clothes, books and household items for recycling, reuse and upcycling. Volunteers receive, weigh and sort every donation before it is sent to the appropriate recycler or organisation. What began with six volunteers and 450 grams of plastic has grown into a community initiative attracting participants from across Mumbai. From Covid volunteers to community dry waste recyclers The origins of the initiative lie in an entirely different crisis. During the Covid-19 pandemic, residents of Madhli…

The consequences of poor waste management are visible across communities near our own in Chennai. In Tiruvanchery, waste dumped and burnt close to residential areas has caused breathing difficulties, mosquito nuisance, and raised concerns about groundwater contamination. Such conditions don’t begin at dumping grounds alone; they start at home, when recyclable, biodegradable, and non-recyclable materials are discarded together.   For many years, the approach has been standard: collect mixed household waste and transport it to dumping yards. While this may appear convenient, it is neither sustainable nor environmentally responsible. In our own community of SSM Nagar, Perungaluthur, only about 50% of…

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot/ With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot. These words of the Joni Mitchell classic Big Yellow Taxi filled a corner of Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu on a bright Sunday morning in March. Though the song was released in 1970, the words resonate in 2026, especially for this park. There have been several attempts to convert Pushpa Narsee Park into a parking lot, only foiled by the vigilance of the locals, says Anca Florescu Abraham, co-founder of Love Your Parks Mumbai (LYPMumbai). This initiative advocates for the…

Ever since the contentious Mamallan reservoir was proposed in the ecosensitive Kovalam–Nemmeli backwater system, fisher communities in Chennai have repeatedly asked: Does it have to be here? Experts and scientists say no, urging the government to abandon the project and work on sustainable alternatives.  Critics point to a long list of costs: high expenditure, land acquisition, and risks to livelihoods and biodiversity. As we have reported earlier, the central concern driving the project is the looming drinking water supply crisis – demand is projected to rise from 1,100 million litres a day (MLD) to over 2,500 MLD for the Greater…

43-year-old Saridha from Hongasandra works as housekeeping staff at an apartment complex in HSR Layout, an affluent area in southern Bengaluru. There was a time when her work commute meant a one-hour, 3-km walk from her house to the apartment. And then the same way back after a tiring day's work. Till she came to know of the HSR Feeder bus.  Now, she can take a BMTC bus from her place to Bommanahalli. It's a short 400 metres from there to the Mangammanpalya stop, where she takes the feeder bus, which drops her off right next to where she works.…

Across Bengaluru, it is common to see abandoned photos and idols of deities left under sacred trees, near parks, or outside temples. Does this sight disturb you? It bothered us deeply to see these divine symbols—once the centre of our homes—left to become soiled, discoloured, and neglected. What is even more distressing is that most of these items eventually end up in landfills. We felt that this needed to change. Such items deserve a respectful farewell, and the needless waste of valuable resources must come to an end. So, what's the solution? The journey Our journey began with a pilot…

On a Friday mid-morning in Bhim Nagar, a hillside settlement in Mumbai's Ghatkopar, a small community room is abuzz with activity. Families stream in, some with children in tow, all carrying sacks filled with dry waste. Volunteers weigh the waste and make a note of the quantity. This bustling scene is part of a waste segregation initiative that Green Communities Foundation (GCF), a non-profit organisation working in sustainable waste management, is running in partnership with the community.   The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is responsible for providing solid waste management services in Bhim Nagar, an informal settlement. However, there are major…

Ten years ago, in 2016, SwachaGraha began with a simple yet powerful invitation: “Start a green spot.” It started as a call to action for individuals, families, and neighbourhoods to look at waste differently, not as garbage, but as a resource: one compost bin, one garden, and one shared meal at a time, to turn everyday habits into acts of care for the planet. Compost: The first 'green spot' begins right in your kitchen, where vegetable peels and food scraps are transformed into nutrient-rich compost. Grow: The second 'green spot' takes root in your garden, balcony, or terrace, where that…

Even as the Mumbai skyline changes with redeveloped buildings of vertiginous heights, towers of another kind loom large over the city's two dumping grounds. The Deonar landfill, in use since 1927, holds a mountain of garbage 40 metres high. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to shut it down by cleaning it up through bioremediation, leaving Kanjurmarg as the city's sole dumping ground. According to BMC’s Environment Status Report (ESR) 2024-25, 86% of Mumbai's daily waste, around 6,300 metric tonnes, goes to Kanjurmarg. However, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report flags discrepancies: while the BMC records 6,514 tonnes of…

When fifty-one-year-old Matilda Fonceca first wheeled herself through the gates of the Better World Shelter for women with disabilities in Chennai, she was not looking for transformation. She simply wanted a safe place to stay. The locomotor disability that has shaped her life since childhood has never stopped her from pursuing independence, yet it has often dictated how society has treated her. Much of her youth was spent moving between NGOs, where she learned early that institutions might make space for her, but rarely with her needs in mind. Before arriving here, Matilda lived an ordinary urban life, working night…