Civic

Post Diwali, air quality worsens in Delhi-NCR On the night of Diwali (14th November 2020), pollution levels in the national capital rose up to eight times above the safe limit and further worsened on Sunday morning. Air quality in the NCR area was in the 'severe' category due to Diwali celebrations. On Sunday morning at 6 AM, the level of PM 2.5 (particles that are directly inhalable and as small as 2.5 micrometers) in Delhi was 469.3 ug/m3 against the safe limit of 60 ug/m3 as per Indian standards. As of 9 AM on Sunday, AQI (Air Quality Index) for…

Only green crackers are allowed in Bengaluru this Deepavali. Pic: Pxfuel Green crackers allowed during Deepavali Though Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had earlier announced a firecracker ban, on November 6, the state government specified that green crackers could be burst. The National Green Tribunal has also said that only green crackers can be allowed in Bengaluru, which is a 'non-attainment city' in terms of air quality. According to the records maintained by the CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), Bengaluru is polluted beyond the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standards. NGT also said it might have to consider issuing directions…

To begin with, a quick update on the pandemic. On November 13th, Chennai recorded 565 fresh COVID cases. The day also saw 681 recoveries and six deaths. And now, for other important news that you may have missed this week: Consultant appointed to chart organisational structure for CUMTA The World Bank has appointed Deloitte as a consultant for charting out an organisational structure for the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA). Reports state that the transport agency is likely to conduct the first meeting before the board meeting, which will take place in February 2021. Deloitte has been entrusted with…

COVID-19: One-third of the population did not wear masks correctly; only one active containment zone in the city On November 6th, Chennai recorded 612 fresh COVID cases and 13 deaths. The day also witnessed 650 recoveries.  A study jointly conducted by the National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) revealed that only one-third of the population within the GCC limits wore masks correctly. The survey, which was conducted from October 16 to 19, covered 3,600 persons from 60 random streets in slum and non-slum localities. The survey found that 28% people wore masks correctly in slum…

Power tariff hiked, water tariff hike likely The KERC (Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission) has approved an average increase in power tariff by 40 paise per unit. The new rates will come into effect from the first meter reading date falling on or after November 1. The FKCCI (Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries) warned that many industries would shut down due to the tariff hike. The Kassia (Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association) said the hike would be particularly disastrous for MSMEs as they struggle to revive operations amid the pandemic and a severe slowdown in the economy. The…

As India reaches the eighth month of its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, with no foreseeable end, states and urban local bodies are severely cash strapped. A situation, which has been exacerbated by the Central government issuing various orders during and after the lockdown on policy issues strictly within the domain of states, such as prohibiting the sale of alcohol, restricting inter-state and intra-state movement, and withholding the GST compensation that each state government is entitled to. According to a report in the Bloomberg Quint, many states’ share in the Central Goods and Service Taxes constitutes an average of only 16-30%. The burden of raising remaining…

A storm water drain project to be executed in areas along the East Coast Road has hit roadblocks with residents from several localities registering their protest. The residents reason that the areas where the drains are set to be laid did not see significant flooding during events such as the tsunami in 2004 or the floods of 2016 due to the sandy nature of the soil, making the drains redundant. The 270-crore project is funded by the German development bank KfW and was mapped to cover the areas between Kottivakkam and Uthandi. But the work on the project has stalled…

A couple of days back, we had written about the areas in Chennai that are particularly prone to flooding and have even been identified by the Greater Chennai Corporation as 'vulnerable' in a list that they prepared in 2018. But it has been two years since then, and the city continues to be under threat of increased instances of intense rainfall, as highlighted by several studies and research. What is the civic body doing to prevent inundation? As part of flood mitigation measures, the GCC is constructing an integrated stormwater drain (SWD) network in the Kosasthalaiyar Basin in North Chennai…

Mini transfer stations to process waste To strengthen decentralised waste collection, BBMP will set up 50 mini transfer stations. Waste collected by auto-tippers and push carts, instead of being loaded onto compactor trucks, will be brought to the mini transfer stations. The stations will process waste from two wards each. According to BBMP, this system will reduce garbage transfer points as well as black spots in the city. It will also ensure there is no leakage of garbage residue from compactor trucks. Besides, fewer garbage vehicles will be required, which in turn will reduce air pollution. Only four waste processing…

On October 28th, the northeast monsoon set in over Tamil Nadu and Kerala. On the 29th, Chennai recorded the highest amount of rainfall in 24 hours since November 2017, as called out by weather expert Pradeep John. AreaRain (in cm)Mylapore (DGP office)18Anna University14Redhills Lake13Chennai district13Alandur, Sholinganallur8Ambattur9Source: IMD Chennai Koyambedu saw heavy rains lashing their neighbourhood on October 29th. As a result of which, people had to wade through knee-deep water. Pic: Avinash D But the writing has been on the wall for some time. A study titled ‘Future changes in precipitation extremes during northeast monsoon over south peninsular India’ by…