Environment

The government recently announced that it will now ease the travel woes of residents by cutting travel time between South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to 30 minutes. The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) will soon launch a ferry service from Belapur in Navi Mumbai to Gateway of India. This forced me to do some research on this subject. CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation) recently made two jetties within a distance of hardly 4 km from each other: one in Belapur at a reported cost of approximately Rs 10 crore, and another one in Nerul costing more than Rs 111 crore. Both were…

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The recent flooding in Bengaluru made national headlines as the ‘high-tech’ IT capital of India was ground to a halt in the wake of heavy rainfall spells. The severity of the event shone the spotlight on the state of the city’s lakes, particularly the extent of encroachment, and poor waste management that have impaired the ability of Bengaluru’s water bodies and stormwater drains to act as flood buffers. With climate change, the frequency of such extreme weather is likely to increase, underlining the need to understand the city’s complex and integral waterscape better. Lesson one, in this regard, is that…

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Streeties or free-living dogs (FLDs) are frequently at the centre of much controversy regarding human-animal conflict and zoonotic diseases like rabies. These issues can cause trauma and claim lives. It is, hence, our collective responsibility to address it. Some experts are of the opinion that the only viable approach is the complete eradication of these dogs. But is this approach workable in India? Should other approaches also be considered? Are there certain beliefs that make some people insist on one approach over the other? What should our considerations be when we discuss what is the right approach for India? There…

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The festival season is almost synonymous with the sale season. It's an excuse to splurge, buy and gift. Advertisements and discounts attract us to many such offers and our shopping carts, virtual and otherwise overflow with binge buys. But this rampant consumerism in festivals is incredibly damaging to our environment, increasing the burden on our resources, and adding to the mounting levels of waste and pollution. With Diwali around the corner, Citizen Matters was joined by two enthusiastic and spirited environmentalists for a panel discussion held on Instagram live, titled 'Conscious consumers: Celebrating in a sustainable and responsible way' on October…

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As a 'yellow alert' has been issued, yet again, in Bengaluru, citizens search for answers on the reasons for the severe floods this year. One such explainer is by Arun Pai, founder of Bangalore Walks. In a series of videos, titled 'Floodsplaining' posted on the Bangalore Walks YouTube channel, Arun Pai deep dives into questions on the causes of the floods. He does not pass any value judgements and focuses on the scientific reasons for the severe floods. His videos are based on his extensive research, including talking to experts, reading on the topic, and gaining insights by going around…

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This is the second and final part of the series on the impact of the total ban on use of diesel gen sets by residential, commercial and industrial establishments in Delhi and NCR. In an earlier article, we discussed the revised rules under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) that has been formulated to tackle Delhi and NCR's infamous winter pollution issue. The ban on diesel gensets is one component, though everybody has to do their bit. In the very first stage, the 24 actions to be taken will begin with the strict vigilance and enforcement of Pollution Under Check…

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The monsoon in Mumbai is nearing its end, and it's time to take stock of the season. The rainfall received in the city has just about crossed the expected average, at 101.45% in Colaba, and 106.26% in Santacruz.  The seasonal rainfall received by the city - between June and September - was 2,093.8 mm in Colaba and 2,658.3 mm in Santacruz. The seasonal average normal of Mumbai is 2,317 mm. But the rain did not stop there; October witnessed more rainfall in 24 hours than the 89 mm expected of it in the whole month. Till October 16th, the rain recorded in Colaba increased to…

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In a previous article, Citizen Matters summarised and republished the first in the YouTube series of Arun Pai's video explainers on why Bengaluru floods to provide insights on the reasons for the city experiencing its worst floods in September this year. In episode one of the series, Arun Pai explains how elevation determines why certain parts of Bengaluru flood. The second and third episodes in the "Floodsplaining" "series respectively explain how our ancestors captured and utilised rain water and how some locations in the city are more vulnerable to floods. Arun Pai, founder of Bangalore Walks, uses interactive maps, history…

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This is the first of a two-part series on the impact of the total ban under the new GRAP rules on use of diesel gensets by residential, commercial and industrial establishments in Delhi and NCR. Shiv Dayal, an electrician in charge of a few high rise buildings in the Ghaziabad area of East Delhi is these days focussed for most of the day on a website on his phone. But then, that is part of his job now — he is keeping track of the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital city, Delhi. The minute the AQI goes…

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Bengaluru witnessed one of its worst floods in September this year. The city received more than 800mm rain, since June. Heavy rains led to flooding of many parts of the city in the east, southeast, and northeast, inundating neighbourhoods and houses and damaging vehicles. Tractors and boats were used to evacuate people from homes in flooded neighbourhoods. Bengaluru's IT corridor was among the worst affected. Large swathes of the city were flooded, normal life was disrupted, and the apathy of the authorities raised many questions.  In search of answers Several reasons have been cited for the flooding: from rapid and…

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