GENRE: Voices

பள்ளிக்கரணை சதுப்பு நிலத்தில் உள்ள பெருங்குடி குப்பைக் கிடங்கை பயோ மைனிங் முறையில் மீட்டுருவாக்கம் செய்து 93 ஏக்கர் பரப்பளவில் 99 கோடி செலவில் பல்லுயிர்ப் பூங்கா அமைக்க சென்னை மாநகராட்சி திட்டமிட்டுள்ளது.  மீட்கப்பட்ட நிலத்தில் பூங்கா அமைப்பதற்கான பொதுமக்கள் கருத்துக் கேட்புக் கூட்டம் 05.02.2024 அன்று சென்னையில் நடந்தபோது இத்திட்டம் பொதுமக்களின் கடும் எதிர்ப்பைச் சந்தித்துள்ளது. சென்னையின் மிக அதிகமாக மாசுபட்ட, ஆக்கிரமிக்கப்பட்ட ஈரநிலங்களில் ஒன்றான பள்ளிக்கரணையில் 65 வகையான வலசைப்பறவைகள், 105 வகையான உள்ளூர்ப் பறவைகள், 50 வகையான மீனினங்கள், 15 வகையானப் பாம்புகள், 10 வகையானப் பல்லிகள், 11 வகையான இருவாழ்விகள், 10 வகையானப் பாலூட்டிகள், 34 வகையான வண்ணத்துப் பூச்சிகள், 20 வகையானத் தட்டான்கள், 24 வகையான ஓட்டுடலிகள், 8 வகையானக் கரப்பான்கள், 78 வகையான மிதவை உயிரினங்கள், 167 வகையானத் தாவரங்கள் என மொத்தம் 625 –க்கும் மேற்பட்ட வகை வகையான உயிரினங்கள் வாழ்ந்து…

Part 2: The cluster of the ‘plant-detritus-eating darkling’ beetles Lesson learnt: Never forget to get your tiled roof cleaned annually especially when you live under trees, which shed leaves and flowers that get sticky as they rot. We considered ourselves lucky to live in a home whose frontage was shaded by mature social forestry trees, mainly West Indian mahoganies and Pongamia (Indian beech). The trees managed to survive their initial perilous years of existence and now the parking spots in front of our home are hotly contested. Auto and cab drivers seem to have telepathically passed the word around that…

In the first week of December 2023, residents of Chennai and surrounding areas experienced flood fury, which brought the city to a grinding halt. When the 2015 Chennai floods happened, the authorities said it was a one-in-100-years disaster and would not occur for a long period. Yet, in eight years, here we are facing the consequences of a disaster. Now the citizens are asking — who is to blame for the Chennai floods? Major rivers, lakes and canals in the city come under the purview of the Water Resources Department. "But the department, which should be restoring waterbodies and channels…

Chennai received one of its worst rains in the last 80 years in December 2023*, and we should not be surprised if the city is primed to break more such records in the future for the worse. The scenes of boats out on the streets, families stranded on rooftops, and news media outlets asking what happened to all the funds sanctioned for building stormwater drains are painfully familiar for Chennai come monsoon-cyclones season. Since 2015, this ‘water-stressed’ city has endured brutal cycles of extreme rainfall and destructive flooding, most recently from Cyclone Michaung. The 2015 deluge saw nearly 50 cm…

From a homemaker, who had little knowledge of the workings of the outside world to being triumphant in the Chennai urban local body polls — and managing her ward — B Sumathi, Councillor of Ward 77, has charted an eventful journey. "My husband was quite active in the party and also involved in social work. Since, this was a ward reserved for women from scheduled castes, I was given a seat to contest. To my surprise, I won by a margin of 6,847 votes," says Sumathi. Speaking about her tenure so far, she says, "Though I was scared initially, I…

The habits of birds have long been studied to make sense of the changes and trends in our natural ecosystems. Given that these are environmentally adaptive creatures — whose patterns of migration and breeding change as the ecosystems change — watching birds can teach us many things about climate change, ecological degradation and the ways we can respond to these phenomena. Every year during Pongal time, birders and nature enthusiasts around Tamil Nadu participate in the Pongal Bird Count, a state-wide annual bird monitoring programme, which is an initiative of the Tamil Birders Network. This year as a part of…

Part 1: More insects than we cared to get acquainted with… Both as an architect and heritage conservation expert, ecological living has been a day-to-day mantra for me. However, it’s not without its attendant perils as many years of living in a home in the city, built with natural materials, has demonstrated. Our woeful tales of insects and other species reluctantly permitting us to share space with them, provide much amusement to friends and family. And now, I have decided to spread the joy and share some of our encounters with a wider audience.   We blithely commenced our home construction…

In December 2023, many parts of Chennai received record-breaking rains for two days. Though the event of cyclone occurrence was the same throughout the city, the capacity to recover from the aftermath was not the same for all. Experts say the reasons for this recovery variability could be attributed to infrastructure resilience such as sewage treatment capacity, water supply, water holding capacity of reservoirs and waterbodies encroachment. These physical parameters are intensified by the socio-economic status such as the livelihood, income levels, social status of people and assets across different parts of Chennai. Here, it is important to look at…

For more than a month now, Ennore has been in the news continuously. First, we had the floods, then the oil spill and now the gas leak. Hundreds of villagers in Ennore have been protesting for two weeks against the industrial pollution that has been taking a heavy toll on their livelihood and health for nearly five decades. Located in the northern part of Chennai, the Ennore Industrial Cluster has two thermal power stations, ash ponds, two ports, fertiliser manufacturing industries, pharmaceutical companies, oil storage terminals, coal storage yards and cement manufacturers. Once a quiet and verdant locale, the Kosasthalaiyar…

As a teenager residing in Chennai, I observed a noticeable difference in the level of concern for safety between boys my age and myself, when in parks or outdoor spaces. While boys could play freely without feeling threatened, my own experiences were quite different. I would often be approached by unfamiliar men asking invasive questions, making me conscious of my vulnerability. This seems to be a shared experience among girls, not only confined to parks but extending to various public spaces. It brings to light a gender disparity in outdoor experiences, emphasising the need to establish a more inclusive and…