Environment

Encroachments on Chennai lakes often begin with the construction of religious structures, such as temples. Unless citizens take collective action, such encroachments are likely to persist. This is a key lesson from the citizen-led initiative by the Federation of Sunnambu Kulathur Residents Welfare Association to protect Narayanapuram Lake. For years, Narayanapuram Lake has faced encroachments, with four temples and a church gradually expanding into its area. Each monsoon, floodwaters engulfed the residential areas around the lake, sparing neither homes nor the religious structures. The local residents rallied together; they engaged with elected representatives, used social media to raise awareness, and…

Waste-to-energy (WTE) plants are notorious for releasing harmful pollutants, and environmental activists have long criticised them as an unsuitable solution for legacy waste. Yet governments often view them as a quick fix for waste management and energy generation, despite their risks. It is no different with the WTE plant coming up at Deonar, the country's largest dumping ground in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai. The clamour against the project is growing louder as residents fear the toxic emissions from the WTE plant and the impact on their health. Here are five things you need to know about the project and…

Nine-year-old Priti Borde, is struggling to stay indoors. The air inside her home is hot and stuffy, offering little relief compared to the lane outside. With her school closed for the summer holidays, she finds herself confined to a narrow alley barely three feet wide, idly passing time with her neighbourhood friends. Her mother has set firm boundaries—no straying into the adjacent lane and no trips to Pushpa Park, the only playground nearby. Although just half a kilometre away, the park lies beyond a busy road, making it difficult to reach. Juhu Beach, nearly a kilometre away, remains inaccessible, leaving…

I remember the first time I set up my kitchen garden and finished sowing. The joy in the germination, of seeing something grow is the best. I would talk to my plants every day, water them lovingly, and carefully follow all the advice people gave me, to keep them healthy—adding compost, avoiding overwatering, and sticking to companion planting guidelines. But then they struck!!! PESTS. About a month in, I noticed tiny black insects covering the stems. I later learned they were aphids. Over the years of kitchen gardening, I’ve battled mealybugs, aphids, stem borers, fruit flies—you name it. Some seasons…

“You will see how the river changes once we go outside the national park,” says Mahesh Thawani of Mumbai March, a voluntary organisation working on issues in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SNGP). I am meeting Mahesh, a long-time resident of the area, to walk along the Dahisar River, which originates in the park at Tulsi Lake. As we make our way through enthusiastic throngs of morning walkers, the river is omnipresent—providing a serene setting to a group of senior citizens singing, a refuge for birds, holding a mirror to the green of the trees along its banks and the…

Two years ago, I visited the Central Park South apartment complex in Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) to observe and write about its in-house Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). While large apartment complexes are required to have the facility to treat their sewage, many in Chennai lack one. Unlike other buildings in OMR, Central Park South had little choice, as the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has yet to provide essential services like drinking water and underground drainage. I revisited the apartment this month, eager to see how the sewage treatment system had evolved. While it has had a…

Urban Heat Islands (UHI) are areas within cities that experience significantly higher temperatures than their rural counterparts due to human activities, concretisation, and lack of vegetation. Bengaluru, the fifth most populous metropolis (Census of India, 2011) and one of the rapidly growing cities in India, is no exception. In the last two decades, the city has seen a rapid rise in built-up area from 37.4% to 93.3%. The pressure of urbanisation has not only affected the natural and ecological resources but is also impacting the city’s livability because of rising temperature levels. Unlike sudden disaster events like landslides or floods,…

Ambedkar Nagar, located in Kodathi panchayat, is a rapidly expanding neighbourhood in Bengaluru's outskirts. Young professionals socialising, walking to their workplace, waiting for their cabs—this area reflects Bengaluru's bustling IT ecosystem. Water tankers are a common sight, supplying water to local buildings. From small eateries to salons, the area has all the essential facilities for everyday life. The Wipro office premises are located on one side of Ambalipura-Sarjapura Road, while opposite its Kodathi gate, NPS School Road is lined with brightly painted, four-storey Paying Guest (PG) accommodations. But this growth has come at a steep cost, especially for the environment.…

Catching a glimpse of the Indian Eagle Owl is not a rarity for birders and nature enthusiasts who frequent the Nanmangalam Lake and the surrounding forests. Yet, this privilege is under threat as the lake's once-thriving ecosystem faces severe environmental degradation. Fed by rainwater from the hillocks of the Nanmangalam Reserve Forest, the lake — spread over 200 acres — is now ravaged by encroachments, illegal water extraction, sewage and garbage disposal. Chennai has two significant reserve forests: the Pallikaranai Wetland and the Nanmangalam Scrub Forest. Located along the Tambaram-Velachery Main Road, Nanmangalam Forest is one of the last remaining…

The blanket of haze that shrouds most big cities in India has grown denser as air quality continues to dip. Last winter was no different with pollution levels soaring way above permissible limits and posing major risks to public health.      A recent analysis of winter pollution during 2024-25 by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) highlights alarming pollution trends in India's megacities, with Delhi leading with the worst air quality. Even megacities outside the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) have seen escalating air quality challenges, despite relatively favourable climatic conditions.  One significant trend across cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai,…