INFORMATIVE

"You ain’t gonna miss your water until your well runs dry": Bob Marley Why did Indo-Aryans move towards Indus Valley and then to the Ganges Plain? Why did Dravidians settle near rivers? There may be several reasons. But, with the water crisis we are facing, I think we now know the answer - water. Civilisations flourished where water was available. The clock is ticking, and we need to do what is vital for our survival - save water. According to news reports, our city may turn uninhabitable in the next few years due to rapidly-depleting groundwater levels. Rainwater harvesting (RWH)…

We often hear about encroachments and solid waste sounding the death knell for water bodies in Chennai. Villivakkam Lake is no exception; it shares the same plight as any other water body in the city. However, it is set to change. Corporation officials say that the transformation of this 36.5 acre lake will be revolutionary -- replete with state-of-the art recreation facilities such as walkway, gym, children's play area, library, food and play courts, open air theatre and a multipurpose lawn. Greater Chennai Corporation will adopt Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)’s natural process of treating wastewater and use it for…

Two days ago, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao tweeted that the number of traffic wardens in the city would be increased from 390 to 2500. He requested citizens to get in touch with their nearest traffic police stations to apply to be a warden. Traffic wardens are volunteers from diverse backgrounds who support the police in traffic management, especially as the city’s increasing vehicle numbers have put pressure on the latter. The wardens are part of the Traffic Warden Organisation (TWO) of Bengaluru City Police. Traffic wardens need to be on duty only 16 hours a month, but can do…

Translated by Sandhya Raju தமிழ்நாடு போக்குவரத்து கழகத்தின் தகவலின்படி சென்னையில் மட்டும் நாற்பது லட்சம் இரு சக்கர வாகனங்களும், எண்பத்தி எட்டு லட்ச கார்களும் உள்ளன. கடந்த பத்து ஆண்டுகளில் மட்டும் வாகனங்களின் எண்ணிக்கை பல மடங்கு உயர்ந்துள்ளது. இந்த எண்ணிக்கை உயர்வால் காற்று மாசு, நெருக்கடி மற்றும் சாலை விபத்துகள் அதிகரித்து உள்ளதை மறுக்க முடியாது. அதிகரித்து வரும் இந்த வாகன எண்ணிக்கை, தனியார் வாகன வசதியை உபயோகிக்கும் நிலையில் இல்லாதவர்கள் ஆகியவற்றை கருத்தில் கொண்டு  பொது போக்குவரத்து பயன்பாட்டை மேம்படுத்தவும், புது வகையான போக்குவரத்து முறைகளை அறிமுகப்படுத்தும் முயற்சிகளும் தொடர்ந்து நடைபெற்றே வருகின்றன. நடை பாதை பாதசாரிகள் மற்றும் மிதிவண்டி ஓட்டுபவர்களை கருத்தில் கொண்டு மோட்டரில்லா வாகனத்திற்கான போக்குவரத்து கொள்கையை சென்னை மாநகராட்சி தயாரித்துள்ளது. சென்னையில் பைக் பகிர்வு  கடந்த ஐந்து ஆண்டுகளில் நாட்டின் பல நகரங்களில் மிதிவண்டி பகிர்வு என்ற முயற்சி பரவலாகி வருகிறது. ஓலாவின்…

In 2017, Tamil Nadu witnessed an alarming oubreak of Dengue, with a total of 6,546 cases recorded in Chennai alone. The high numbers prompted the state health department and the Greater Chennai Corporation to take proactive measures in handling the menace.  According to data provided by the health department of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), the city has been witnessing a declining trend in Dengue fever cases this year: a total of 196 cases were registered in August 2019, as against 213 cases in August 2018 and 1104 cases in the same month in 2017.   Validating the data, medical superintendent…

BBMP ups security deposit for road cutting  Roads that are dug up by various agencies are often restored poorly, due to the lack of coordination between agencies. To address this issue, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is increasing the security deposit that agencies - including private telecoms and internet service providers - have to pay when they take permission for road cutting. The security deposit should be enhanced to 100 percent of the road restoration cost, as per a circular issued by the BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar to the Palike's chief engineers. So far, the civic body…

The last decade has seen an enormous growth in private vehicles in Chennai, with the city home to around 42 lakh two-wheelers and 88 lakh cars in the city according to data from the State Transport Department. The steady increase in number of vehicles has brought with it several problems such as congestion, air pollution and road accidents.  Waking up to the ballooning problems created by this explosion of vehicles as also the mobility needs of those who cannot afford private modes of transport, there have been efforts to improve public transport and add new modes for people to get…

The oft associated image of T Nagar's Pondy Bazaar as a chaotic shopping hub where pedestrians jostle with vendors and navigate signboards (of shops) placed on the already cramped space of the footpath is all about to change. With the construction of a dedicated Pedestrian Plaza as part of the Chennai Smart City mission, the entire stretch is to get a makeover.  The ambitious project aims to create a safe space for pedestrians and regulate traffic on Thyagaraya road. Apart from widening of the footpath, parking will also be revamped to a large extent. The completed pedestrian plaza is set…

The Bombay High Court (HC) has become the last recourse for citizens to save Mumbai's miniscule tree cover -- less than a tree per head as aganst the world standard of seven trees per head. The city's few remaining trees are facing the axe from large, high-profile infrastructural projects. The High Court is playing the role meant to be played by the Mumbai's Tree Authority, a statutory body set up following promulgation of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. From getting the Tree Authority suspended for nine months, probably for the first time, and insisting…

Picture this: No jet black smoke from vehicles. No constant noise from engines. No toxic carbon-laden air to choke your lungs as you walk along a city thoroughfare. It might sound Utopian now, but if there is a boom in electric mobility, this ideal could well become reality on Chennai roads. One of the first steps towards that has been by a private auto service provider, Makkal Auto, which rolled out the city’s first electric auto last week (August 25), . The initiative has garnered appreciation from Chennaites for two reasons: one, electric autos would reduce emissions and pave the…