Environment

We're currently living in a climate crisis. Temperatures are rising and waste in Mumbai is piling up. While policy changes and government intervention are important to combating the future impact of the crisis, there is a lot we can do as individuals to reduce emissions and be more climate-conscious.  In a city like Mumbai, people wonder if it is possible to live a low-waste and sustainable life. After trying it myself, I’ve realised that it’s not as difficult as I had imagined. Sustainability is merely a mindful choice, more than anything else. There are many options in Mumbai to support…

Bengaluru city makes up only 6% of the Arkavathy river basin area, but is a major contributor to the river's pollution. Similar is the case with Vrushabhavathi river. Wastewater from industrial areas like Peenya, along with domestic sewage, is choking these rivers. Downstream, these rivers join the Cauvery, from which water is pumped up to meet the city's needs. This effectively means that the wastewater dumped by the city comes right back to it. This was illustrated in a presentation made by Nirmala Gowda, co-founder of the paani.earth website that maps the rivers of Karnataka. Nirmala was speaking at a…

Rising temperatures have engulfed the country. On April 28th, Mumbai recorded the highest daily temperature at 37 degrees Celsius, creating unbearable circumstances for those uniquely vulnerable to the heat, particularly informal workers. The lack of a comprehensive Heat Action Plan (HAP) in the city is increasing the effects of the heatwave on the health of those directly exposed to the sun for long hours. To be able to conduct their businesses, street vendors in Mumbai adapt to these conditions and find unique ways to cope with the heat. Citizen Matters spoke to different vendors to understand their methods. Deepak and…

Heat waves are not unusual at this time of the year in north and central India. Delhi faces heat wave conditions during April-June every year. What is unusual this year is that the first round of heat wave conditions hit Delhi and neighbouring states in end March and early April. And is likely to hit a peak in May. Climate experts have been increasingly warning of unusual weather events, including extreme heat, across the globe. And the dire projections all seem to be coming true. “In the Himalayas too, temperatures rose by a few degrees,” said Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director…

‘Dirt, debris, highly acidic black water and the pungent smell,’ is the description of Otteri Nullah given by the residents living along the canal. Otteri Nullah is one of the 32 naturally formed canals in Chennai. Due to neglect over years, the canal has gone from being a vital part of the local waterway system that drains flood waters into the Buckingham Canal to a dumping ground for debris and waste.  Memories of the 2015 floods haunt many citizens of Chennai to the day. However, for residents living along the stretch of the 10.2 km-long Otteri Nullah, similar instances of…

The Chennai floods in 2015 caused damage worth Rs 8481 crore and claimed many lives. In 2021, floods ravaged the city once again, but the effects weren’t quite as bad as 2015. While estimates of the economic damage haven’t been cited; the city was at a standstill. Power had been cut, infrastructure damaged, and the collective sanity of the residents was at a low. These were dark times. Oddly, only two years before, in 2019, Chennai faced an acute water shortage because of a monsoon that failed to spill any rain. This chain of events illustrates a water paradox arising…

Rivers, the lifeline of our economy, are drying up and/or becoming too polluted. Drought and floods are becoming frequent and more intense. Addressing these challenges involves making sound data-driven and evidence based decisions in the context of the river basin. In a mature democracy, data and evidence should be in the public domain, so citizens, including policy makers, can form informed opinions and take informed actions. Once, it was the Arkavathi river that sustained Bengaluru. Running dry and polluted for almost half a century now, Arkavathi river is today biologically dead, a ghost river. It stands as living proof of…

A childhood memory of devastation caused by a cyclone that hit India’s east coast way back in 1971, left such a lasting impression on the six-year-old boy that he decided to devote his life learning about the weather and predicting unusual weather events like Cyclones. Today, that six-year-old has risen to be the 25th Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra, also known as the “Cyclone Man”. Dr Mohapatra received international recognition for accurately predicting the path of the ferocious cyclonic storm Phailin that hit the Orissa coast in 1999. As head of the IMD’s cyclone…

According to an environment status report (ESR) released by the BMC for the year 2020-2021, 72.6% of the waste generated by residents is organic. A major chunk of this organic waste is taken to dumping grounds, which has caused recurring fires due to the high levels of methane gas it produces. Despite the BMC’s diktat to segregate wet waste at source, the implementation of it in buildings remains poor. Lack of incentives is considered to be the primary cause behind lack of focus on sustainable waste management. Not all share the apathy, though. The “Zero Garbage Project” at Surabhi Housing…

Tree leaves, bamboo, lotus leaves, palm leaves, rice straw, gourds, hemp twine, coconut shells and shells of shellfish are some of the natural materials that were used for packaging in the olden days. It was common at the turn of the century, for all items purchased, whether cooked or prepared, to be wrapped using indigenous materials, so as to preserve their freshness, prevent pollution, protect them from damage and store leftovers. Our parents and grandparents frequented small local kirana stores with steel dabbas to get flour and spices. Fast-forward to the present scenario, finding stores where you're able to purchase…