Environment – Page 15 – Citizen Matters, Chennai

Can Buckingham Canal acquire new meaning for Chennaites?

July 3, 2017 Bhavani Prabhakar

Why is the Buckingham Canal so critical for Chennai’s ecosystem? Can it be revived from its present sorry state to serve a new purpose for the city and its residents? Bhavani Prabhakar interviews a research team exploring these issues and more.

Where have all our avenues gone?

June 22, 2017 V Sriram

In a beautiful, nostalgic ode to Chennai that was Madras, heritage activist V Sriram tells us about the lost landmarks of the city: the tree-lined avenues and what they have become today.

Photo essay: Chennai Trekking Club organises 8th Chennai Coastal Cleanup

June 20, 2017 Peter Van Geit

The huge awareness drive saw 4600 volunteers participating and removing 32 tonnes of garbage from 20 km of Chennai’s shoreline between Lighthouse and Uthandi.

With 1073 MLD of sewage a day, why wouldn’t Chennai’s water bodies stink?

June 17, 2017 Prashanth Goutham

A detailed audit of Chennai’s sewage woes and the reasons behind it reveals that the CMWSSB is woefully out of sync with the reality of sewage generation and treatment in the city. Prashanth Goutham provides a quick summary of the findings.

Shrunk to less than half, Chitlapakkam Lake cries out for action

June 14, 2017 Bhavani Prabhakar

A lake that once spanned 83.89 acre is now just 33.95 acre, thanks to rampant encroachment. Added to that is the problem of dumping and contamination. Bhavani Prabhakar presents a stark look at the state of Chitlapakkam Lake today.

ஆரோக்கிய வாழ்வும் , கழிப்பறையின் அவசியமும்

June 8, 2017 Visalakshi Palaniappan

Chennai’s ranking in this year’s Swacch Survekshan is a dismal 235 out of 434. For the city to literally ‘clean up’ its act, there has to be a concerted effort to build more toilets, encourage their use and stop open defecation.

The panel: from left, Sandhya Ravishankar (journalist), Suresh Veeraraghavan (General Secretary of PUCL), Dr Rajendra Singh (the water man of India) and Piyush Manush (an Environmentalist) Pic: Bhavani P

Negligence of traditional methods led to water scarcity, says expert

May 29, 2017 Bhavani Prabhakar

A panel discussion on how to make Tamilnadu drought-free threw light on many prevailing water-related issues.

The story behind the $180-million industry fuelled by Chennai water crisis

May 17, 2017 Keith Schneider

As the city reels under the stress of unavailability of adequate amounts of clean and safe potable water, Chennai’s water bottlers grow a thriving business.

Converting waste to manure at the ward level: A first-hand account

May 1, 2017 Jagadheeswaran D

The key to a cleaner ward with effective waste management lies in persistence and education of all concerned, writes this citizen journalist engaged in SWM efforts in Ward 93.

Learning to live with snakes…in the city!

April 29, 2017 Meenakshi Ramesh

While sudden encounters with snakes are not uncommon in Chennai, few know the right steps to take in these situations. Reptile conservationist Shravan Krishnan has some tips.

They save trees from abuse in their free time, and you can too!

April 25, 2017 News Desk

Through the month of April, volunteers of NGO Nizhal have been freeing trees of advertisement boards and other forms of constriction, thus gifting them a fresh lease of life.

How to tend to your garden during a water-starved summer

April 14, 2017 Alladi Mahadevan

As temperatures soar and water shortage looms large, tips for the Chennaiite on how to maintain the delicate balance between saving water and protecting the plants.