GENRE: Solutions

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship As any new comer into the job market will tell you, it is a cut throat world of competition where there are more number of aspirants than there are jobs. One needs to stand out with skills that impress. And it is no different for blue and grey collared jobs than it is a for a highly paid CEO of a company. The informal sector, which houses most of these jobs, is the largest in our country and is actually the dominant sector of employment, clamouring for more applicants every…

Tiruvottiyur and Padur, two localities in north and south Chennai respectively, with very different socio-cultural identities, are bound by one thing in common today, something they can truly take pride in.  Both these localities have been able to adhere to and implement the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016  to a large extent.  Private kitchens with neatly displayed posters guiding residents on how to segregate waste into biodegradable, recyclable and reject waste; like-minded enthusiasts campaigning on segregation, and conservancy workers meticulously insisting on segregated waste -- such sights and action are common in Tiruvottiyur and Padur, thanks to the willingness of the people…

Many of us city folks are growing veggies on our terraces and balconies, greening our patch of concrete, staying as eco-positive as we can, but wait a moment… Are we really being gentle on the earth, all the way? Where did it come from – the red soil and the river sand that we use to grow our potted plants? The fact is, the soil and sand would have been mined or smuggled out from a rice field, river bed, forest or countryside, leaving them that much depleted. We do know that sand mining from river beds devastates not just…

Narrow, crumbling roads, buildings on either side, cars and pedestrians navigating the maze. I glance at the navigation app on my phone. Less than 100 metres now. But it’s still nowhere in sight. Asking people doesn't help. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a sharp turn. The GPS says I’ve arrived: I'm inside the congested urban village of Panchsheel Vihar, in front of Ramditti J R Narang Deepalaya Learning Centre. The Narang Trust formed by the family-owned Narang Steel, has donated the use of their building to Deepalaya—an NGO—rent-free, for close to forty years. It is within this building that…

“We come and check. If it’s good and we like it, we take it, otherwise we know it’ll be useful to someone else. Everything kept here is put to good use,” says a woman smiling, as she picks up an item kept at the Brookefield Community Fridge. In a city where one has Zomato, Swiggy, high-end restaurants, big breweries, ice cream parlours, Indira canteens and numerous other options, food should be the last worry on a Bengalurean’s mind. Yet, there are hundreds of families who go to bed on an empty stomach in Bengaluru every day. While mid-day meals in schools,…

Tamil Nadu, the largest manufacturer and consumer of plastic in South India, has announced a welcome move to ban disposable plastic from January 2019. Ripples of the proposed ban can be felt in the state and even in Chennai city, where questions are being raised over the preparedness of people to fall in line and the many ramifications of doing away with plastic altogether. Will people really be able to discard everyday disposables that they are so used to? And how will the shift affect employment and income generation? A self-help group in Walajabad panchayat of Kancheepuram has initiated a…

Karnataka government’s ambitious project of supplying treated water from Bengaluru to the arid districts surrounding Bengaluru ran into problem, when the Karnataka High Court directed the government to stop the pumping of treated water until further instructions. However experts say the idea of reusing treated water is a good one by itself, if proper processes can be put in place. But with protests by residents of the districts supported by their elected representatives growing louder by the day, will this project get killed even before the government attempts to make it work right? The idea of using treated water to…

“கடந்த பத்து வருடங்களாக எல்லோரையும் சூரிய எரிசக்திக்கு மாறும் படி வலுயுறுத்தி வருகிறேன். இது நான் எடுத்த சிறந்த முடிவு. இது எவ்வளவு எளிதானது என்பதை மக்கள் உணர்ந்தால், அவர்கள் நிச்சயம் முயற்சிப்பார்கள். அதற்கான மனம் தான் தேவை” என்கிறார் சென்னைவாசி டி சுரேஷ். சூரிய எரிசக்தி பற்றி சென்னை மற்றும் தமிழ்நாட்டு மக்களிடையே எடுத்துச் செல்லும் இவரது முயற்சிக்காக இவர் சோலார் சுரேஷ் என்றே அழைக்கப்படுகிறார். க்ரீன்பீஸ் மற்றும் ஜெர்மி (Greenpeace India and GERMI) நடத்திய Rooftop Revolution: Unleashing Chennai’s Solar Potential  ஆய்வின் படி சென்னையில் 1.38 GW (கிகாவாட்) அளவுக்கு சூரிய மின்சக்தி தயாரிக்க வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது என்றும் இதுவரை இந்த முயற்சி மேற்கொள்ளப்படவில்லை என்றும் கூறுகிறது. மேலும், வீட்டு கூரை மேல் சூரிய மின்சக்தி அமைப்பின் மூலம் 586 MW (மெகாவாட்) கிடைக்கும் என்றும் இது மொத்த அளவீட்டில் 46% ஆகும் எனவும்…

Every Chennaiite who has lived through the floods of 2015 has a quiet apprehension about the monsoon. The revelation that the 2015 flooding, which left scores dead and Chennai in shambles, was the result of inaction on the part of officials, has increased the distrust among the public. However, a joint effort by various stakeholders to renew and restore close to a 100 water bodies under the Greater Chennai Corporation has been underway for many months now. The Goals of Restoration Flood mitigation, renewal of water table and rejuvenation of water bodies constitute the aim of the initiative that has seen…

For many in Indian cities and towns, it is not unusual to open their doors to an unwarranted pitch by a salesman for a product or service newly launched. However the Dutta family, living in Eastern High, a multi-tower building complex in Newtown Kolkata, was in for a pleasant surprise when they answered the doorbell to find a group of 10-12 year olds, explaining ways of saving electricity at home as well as in the building premises and urging them to follow those steps. As you look around the building complex today, you find several creatively designed posters depicting easy…