Environment

Some 25 years ago, most of us knew that sound, air and water pollution were the most common forms of pollution in the world around us. Accordingly, our efforts were also directed towards reducing noise, smoke from vehicles and the like. But then some people pushed me, and I made an effort to understand the problems about which I had been ignorant. And I learnt that our land may also get polluted. Just as plastic, thermocol etc can pollute our water and air, land too could be directly or indirectly polluted by their use, affecting our food chain as well.…

On Bhogi, people discard old and derelict things and look for new things that signal change or transformation. At dawn, people light a bonfire with logs of wood, other combustible stuff  (mainly knick knacks that are no longer useful at home). We knew it was coming. The burning of random stuff in the name of tradition. The pollution on Bhogi day. The itching eyes, burning throat, breathlessness.. But it turned out to be much worse than last year. Probably because we actually have a winter this year. so cooler temperatures, combined with zero wind this morning, caused a dense impenetrable…

Winter is always a good season for an amateur naturalist like me; the cool weather suits me and I can certainly spend far longer outdoors without getting tired out by the relentless Indian sun. I like to go out as much with friends as possible, and come across interesting things...literally, from far and near. One of the "far" birds that we went to see are the bar-headed geese, which fly in from Mongolia and other parts in the far north, to our relatively warmer climes. Bar-headed Geese At Magadi lake at Gadag district, they arrive in large numbers; however, if…

In the latter half of November 2017, as bulldozers razed some unauthorised religious structures that stood tall on Chitlapakkam Lake for years, hordes of curious onlookers gathered on the streets, pausing their daily chores. Led by senior IAS officer P Amudha, the Public Works Department demolished a few temples, a mosque and a church that residents have been emotionally and spiritually connected to, for decades. What warmed the officials’ hearts were the smiles on the faces of the people, many of whom lauded the speedy action. But, can we expect similar action in all the water bodies of Chennai? Religious…

Once again it’s that time of the year when we are most prone to looking back and ahead at the same time. Taking stock of the year’s discourse on urbanisation in India, it is evident that some issues have consistently dominated the narrative and been on top of the minds of urban citizens in 2017. These are also issues that we need to sustain focus upon as we move into the new year, since they will continue to play an important role in determining the dynamics and direction of development in the country, and in particular in its cities. As…

On December 3rd 2017, Pimple Saudagar, an upmarket suburb under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (sister city of Pune) hosted a meeting of citizens, apartment associations, shop owners and not-for-profit organisations to commit themselves to a movement that could alter the ecological footprint of the entire area. Come January 1st and Pimple Saudagar has resolved to go plastic bag free, entirely! Today everyone is aware of the impact of plastic pollution; there have been enough campaigns, disincentives for usage (such as imposing additional charges for plastic carry bags), incentives for avoidance (such as distribution of free bags by NGOs ) and…

In what turned out to be a most engrossing discussion on “Can Inter-linking our Rivers and Greening their Banks save our Cities?” organized by Environment Support Group at Ashirvad, Bangalore, on December 15, 2017, theatre activist and Playwright Shri Prasanna Heggodu delved into the importance of introspection whilst addressing the prevailing state of affairs of the World. In particular addressing the problematic proposition of interlinking rivers, Prasanna argued that it is not an issue in which we can target the government or the Supreme Court or Narendra Modi as Prime Minister as chasing what seems like a scheme that has…

I often come across the Balloon Vine (also called "Love in a puff") on my walks through the fields and forests around my city. It's a very common vine, indeed....and in fact, in New Zealand, it is identified as a prohibited pest plant! However, in Kerala, the flower of this vine  is one of the ten "sacred flowers" Seed pod and flowers: I found that the scientific name for the genus of this vine is "Cardiospermum". The name intrigued me, until a friend and avid amateur botanist, Ajit Ampalakkad, showed me the seeds inside the "balloons". Each seed was attached to the…

For our English readers: A few days ago, scores of dead fish washed up onto the beaches of Adyar, and it is believed that the contamination of sea water with untreated sewage, was the primary reason for this. Once your sewage leaves your house (if within the limits of Chennai Corporation) it is pumped to the nearest sewage treatment plant (STP), where it must be treated before the water is released into the Adyar and Cooum rivers, and Buckingham Canal. Where the drainage system does not exist, the sewage is collected in septic tanks, and transported by lorries to the…

Part 1 and Part 2 of our series on rainwater harvesting (RWH) exposed how the government as well as citizens have failed in making the most of a scheme that, if implemented well, could have set Chennai as a worthy example in water management. While negligence on the part of authorities has been a crucial factor, lack of awareness on RWH as a whole also plays a major role. There is a need to dispel the ignorance or misconceptions among residents, many of whom feel that the construction of RWH structures cost a bomb.   Experts who have worked on…