Pollution

The air quality in Chennai has deteriorated to alarming levels. An hourly data feed from Central Pollution Control Board's app - Sameer - shows that as of Nov 7th, 2:37 PM, the Air Quality Index (AQI) level in Velachery area stood at 271 (as compared to Delhi which is at 282 at the same time). The Weather Channel AQI data for the same time showed Chennai AQI as 217. While the calculation to arrive at AQI may differ, but one thing is clear from the findings across all these reports. The air is not healthy for breathing. Chennai's natural air…

As rapidly-expanding Guwahati, northeast India’s largest metropolis, gears up to clean its air under the National Clean Air Policy (NCAP), a study suggests a cocktail of natural and man-made pollutants wafting through the air is tinkering with the city’s rainwater quality. Guwahati in Assam is among the 122 ‘non-attainment’ cities identified for implementing mitigation actions under the national policy, which means it does not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Researchers said pinpointing critical sources of air pollution and their contributions to the problem are essential to crafting effective city and region-specific air pollution control plans. Connecting the dots between the origin of…

The story of Ennore is neither new nor untold. However, there is a need to retell it, only because justice seems to be slipping further and further away. The dual onslaught of unplanned industrialisation and deforestation has taken away an important constitutional right from Ennore residents -- the right to life.  Both public and private sector industries have been drastically exploiting the natural resources of Ennore since 1993. Who suffers the consequences? The residents in eight villages of Ennore, for whom clean air and unpolluted water has become an unattainable luxury.  As the locality suffers the consequences of industrialisation in…

The #CycleToWork programme launched last year has made tremendous strides in catalysing commute in Bengaluru. The cycleto.work platform allows 'Bicycle Ambassadors' nominated in each company to take leadership to upscale cycle commute in their company. More than half the companies that clock rides on the #CycleToWork platform are situated in the IT belt. So it was just a matter of time before the ambassadors wheeled up to make a statement. Yesterday, we kicked off '#CycleToWork Fridays' as a critical mass event for bicycle commuters, under the leadership of Shilpi Sahu, Sameer Shisodia and Chidambaram Subramanian. The event was held on…

Translated by Sandhya Raju இதோ தீபாவாளி பண்டிகை வந்துவிட்டது. மேடு பள்ளங்கள், போகுவரத்து நிறைந்த சென்னை வீதிகளில் இப்பொழுது வண்ண விளக்குகள் மின்னுகின்றன. தெரு முனைகளில் பட்டாசு கடைகள், துணிகடைகளில் கூட்டம், புது படங்கள், கோயில்களில் சிறப்பு பூஜைகள் என பண்டிகை களைகட்ட துவங்கியுள்ளது.  தீபாவளி பண்டிகையை முன்னதாகவே சிலர் வரவேற்க துவங்கியுள்ளதில், ஆங்காங்கே லக்ஷ்மி வெடி சத்தமும் கேட்கத் துவங்கியுள்ளது. இந்த வெடிச் சத்தம் இன்னும் அதிகமாகும் என்பதில் ஐயப்பாடில்லை. இந்த உற்சாகம் அனைவரையும் தொற்றிக் கொள்ளுமா என்றால் சந்தேகமே, அதற்கு முக்கிய காரணம் - சத்தம்.  பட்டாசுகள் எழுப்பும் காதைப் பிளக்கும் சத்தம்,  ஒலிப்பெருக்கிகள் ஆகியவை மூத்த குடிமக்கள், கர்ப்பிணிகள், குழந்தைகள் மற்றும் பிராணிகள் இடையே பீதியை கிளப்புகிறது. கடந்த ஆண்டுகளில், இந்த பட்டாச்சு சத்தத்தால், நிறைய வளர்ப்பு பிராணிகள் தங்களின் இருப்பிடத்தை விட்டு ஒடியுள்ளது. 2017 ஆம் ஆண்டில், மடிப்பாக்கத்தில் வீதியில் பற்ற வைக்கப்பட்ட பட்டாசால்…

Deepavali is here. The traffic-congested, pothole-filled streets of Chennai are covered in decorations: string lights adorn the cracker shops, fancy numbers from Kollywood and continuous chants from temples add to the festive fervour. Shopping season is in full swing and firecracker stalls are popping up at street corners. The sounds of the occasional Lakshmi vedi have already begun to startle unwitting passers by as some have begun their celebrations well in advance. In the coming days, the decibels from these crackers will intensify.  However, not all can enjoy the festivities and look forward to Diwali celebrations at the peak with…

Like many metropolitan cities in India, Bengaluru is facing a dire water crisis. There is an imminent need to manage the city's water resources in a sustainable and equitable manner. With population projection of 13.6 million in 2020, Bengaluru is experiencing high growth rates and predatory geographical expansion that subsumes surrounding peri-urban and rural areas. But necessary infrastructure is not established to meet the basic needs of housing, water, sanitation, and so on. Lacking access to formal housing, majority of residents in informal settlements are forced to rely on water from private vendors, neighbourhood sources, or illegal networks of accessing…

Life in the city is inextricably linked with a range of sounds that we have grown accustomed to. But the threat of noise pollution is among the least acknowledged as we go about our day to day activities. The brunt of growing noise pollution is borne by the delicate ecosystems that make up life in and around the city. From the loss of animals due to noise pollution to the disappearance of an entire species, the impact of noise pollution has been devastating, yet we rarely hear enough about it. How sinister is noise pollution and what can we do…

Bengaluru is rapidly losing its groundwater. The city’s water bodies have shrunk, to give way to buildings and infrastructure projects. Come summer and Bengalureans can be seen obsessively discussing water, or rather the lack of it. Though rains bring momentary relief, what about the long-term demand? Access to water is a human right - how can we provide every citizen with enough water for their needs, at a price they can afford? Little has been done to find local solutions. Rainwater harvesting had been implemented in just 1.2 lakh buildings as of May 2019, according to the BWSSB. Meanwhile, big…

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