Environment

Private and green sewage treatment plants (STP) are slowly gaining prominence. With the growing threat of water scarcity, climate change and pollution, Mumbai is grappling for ways to meet current and future demands of water in the city, and one avenue that has emerged is recycling the water from sewage treatment plants (STP). They treat wastewater at the source and replace as much as half the water requirement of a housing society. How much fresh water is wasted daily for activities that can be carried out using recycled water?" asks Prasad Khale, senior conservation officer at the NGO Conservation Action…

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned to Delhi on May 5th after a three day soak in pleasant European clime, the weather in the national capital was way better than when he had left. Yet, among the first things he did was hold a high level meeting where he instructed officials to take steps that would avert deaths due to heat waves and fire incidents. But one swallow does not a summer make. Those pleasant hours after some showers, high speed winds, and lowering of temperature, did not signal the end of the heat wave in the National Capital Region.…

Once upon a time in Delhi, even when summer day temperatures hovered over 40 degrees C, the city would cool down considerably after sunset, bringing the minimum temperature in the range of mid 20 degrees C. But what we have seen during the recent spate of heat waves is not even remotely reminiscent of that. Today, the city does not cool down after sunset: the heat exhaust from millions of air conditioners in residences and offices and central air conditioning in commercial and institutional spaces raises minimum temperature to or above 30 degrees C. According to Avikal Somvanshi, programme manager of…

Translated by Sandhya Raju 'அழுக்கு, குப்பைகள், அதிக அமிலத்தன்மை கொண்ட கறுப்பு நீர், துர்நாற்றம்' இப்படித்தான் ஓட்டேரி நல்லாவை அதன் ஒட்டி வாழும் மக்கள் வர்ணிக்கிறார்கள். சென்னயில் உள்ள 32 இயற்கையான கால்வாய்களில் ஒட்டேரி நல்லாவும் ஒன்றாகும். பக்கிங்ஹாம் கால்வாயில் வெள்ள நீரை வெளியேற்றும் உள்ளூர் நீர்வழி அமைப்பாக முக்கிய பங்காற்றிய இந்த கால்வாய், பல ஆண்டுகளாக பராமரிக்கப்படாததால் குப்பைகள் மற்றும் கழிவுகளை கொட்டும் இடமாக மாறிவிட்டது. 2015 வெள்ளம் இன்றும் இங்குள்ள மக்கள் மனதில் பீதியை உண்டாக்குகிறது. ஆனால், ஒவ்வொரு முறை மழை பெய்யும் போதும், 10.2 கி.மீ நீண்ட ஒட்டேரி நல்லா கரையோரத்தில் வசிக்கும் மக்கள் வெள்ள பாதிப்பை சந்திக்கின்றனர். ஓட்டேரி நல்லாவின் முக்கியத்துவம் கூவம், அடையாறு, கொசஸ்தலையாறு ஆகிய ஆறுகள் சென்னை வழியாக பாய்கின்றன. கடற்கரைக்கு இணையாக ஓடும் பக்கிங்ஹாம் கால்வாய், கூவம் மற்றும் அடையாறு ஆகியவற்றை இணைக்கிறது. கொசஸ்தலையாற்றின் துணை நீர்ப்பிடிப்புப் பகுதியான கிழக்கு-மேற்கு…

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…