Waste | Citizen Matters, Chennai

Syringes, casts by the waterfront: Chennai flouts biomedical waste disposal rules

March 3, 2020 Bhavani Prabhakar

Indiscriminate dumping of biomedical waste — especially around waterbodies and in landfills — is rampant and activists in the city are gravely concerned about its implications. What are the rules being violated and why are authorities unable to control this?

Let’s swap, not shop: Snapshots and conversations from Chennai’s ‘Reuse and Reduce Sale’

January 14, 2020 Mahesh V

Take a look at scenes from the Swap Sale organised by Chennai Corporation, and hear about the thought and philosophy behind the event from one of the key organisers, Alby John Varghese, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South).

How clean is litter-free Bessie beach, really?

January 10, 2020 Laasya Shekhar

Three days after the Chennai Corporation declared Besant Nagar Beach litter free, we spoke to a few visitors to gauge the ground reality.

Economy

Here’s how Chennai’s novel Madras Waste Exchange is incentivising recycling

January 8, 2020 Laasya Shekhar

Creating an ecosystem for a market-based ‘waste economy’ has given a big boost to dry waste recycling in the city, says Azhagu Pandiaraja M P, one of the core members who created the Madras Waste Exchange. Find out more about the unique initiative in this exclusive interview.

2020-ல் சென்னைக்கான எதிர்பார்ப்புகள் என்ன?

December 31, 2019 Sandhya Raju

What can we expect for Chennai in 2020? Will our public spaces be cleaner? Banner-free streets a reality? Can we conserve water effectively to avoid a repeat of the water crisis?

Residents of this Chennai neighbourhood have stopped tonnes of waste from reaching the landfills

December 26, 2019 V C Kannan

ROKA (Residents of Kasturba Nagar Association) has created a model for change at the neighbourhood level and made significant progress in source segregation through the sustained efforts of volunteers, aided by a helping hand from the Chennai Corporation.

Photos: Can you guess what these sculptures have been made from?

December 21, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Tonnes of metal waste are being converted into beautiful pieces of art at the Government ITI, Guindy and Adyar zone of Chennai Corporation. These could also pave the way towards realisation of Chennai’s zero-waste goal.

New e-tricycles to make garbage collection easy for conservancy workers

December 4, 2019 Arun Joy

A batch of electric tricycles have been procured by the Greater Chennai Corporation for collection of waste. The tricycles are expected to reduce the physical burden on conservancy workers and enable swifter collection of waste.

How to turn a littered pathway into a playground: Kotturpuram children create an example

November 18, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

A week ago, the passageway near Block H of Kotturpuram Housing Board resembled a mini dump yard with bags full of domestic waste strewn all around. Today, it is a clean, colourful space, buzzing with kids and youngsters who have actually led this transformation.

Three-way segregation, as in Bengaluru, soon to be streamlined in Chennai: Alby John, RDC South

October 15, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Alby John Varghese, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South) has been trying to make a meaningful difference in the areas of waste management, rainwater harvesting and restoration of water bodies. In this exclusive interview, he talks of the various initiatives undertaken.

Chennai Buzz: Priority tag for Pallikaranai marsh | Dust warning for Metro Phase 2 | Committee to monitor biomedical waste disposal and more

September 7, 2019 News Desk

A quick round up of the key civic developments in the city over the week that went by!

How Kasturba Nagar residents are working towards a cleaner Adyar

August 21, 2019 S Sridharan

Members of ROKA — Residents Of Kasturba Nagar Association — write about the association’s dedicated efforts to restore cleanliness and hygiene in the larger neighbourhood, with proper waste management practices in place.

Chennai Buzz: Flood mitigation project | Waste and sewage treatment plans | Cauvery to the rescue

August 5, 2019 News Desk

Waste, water and climate — catch some of the latest and most important headlines on these critical issues that will definitely impact life in the city.

Chennai Corporation’s five steps that have reduced waste in landfills by 18000 MT/month

July 26, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Five-month data sourced from the Chennai Corporation shows a slow, yet steady, reduction in garbage going to the landfills from across the city. How did the civic body make it possible?

Chennai Buzz: HC slams illegal water extraction | City gets solid waste incinerator | Rise in cases under POCSO … and more

July 22, 2019 News Desk

Water, waste, crime — a round-up of the most important headlines from various beats in your city over the past one week

To go zero-waste, this may be Chennai’s best bet

June 17, 2019 Varun Sukumar

The Chennai Corporation has initiated a zero-waste plan for the city, but for any initiative to work from the ground up, the government isn’t necessarily the best placed to complete the entire cycle by itself. Can our city go circular to successfully crack the waste puzzle?

Dry taps, blocked sewers, garbage mess and more: Koyambedu market cries out for better infrastructure

June 13, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Koyambedu market has Asia’s largest perishable goods complex. But with heaps of garbage, water scarcity and serious sanitation issues creating really sorry conditions on the ground, authorities really need to act urgently.

Pioneering RWAs felicitated with Green Awards

June 13, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

Five Resident Welfare Associations across the city have been recognised by the TNPCB for their adoption of environment-friendly practices. This is what they’ve been doing.

Meet TR Baalu, MP-elect from Sriperumbudur

May 27, 2019 Sri Loganathan

DMK’s Principal Secretary TR Baalu has been elected to the Lok Sabha from Sriperumbudur constituency for the fifth time. He defeated PMK’s A. Vaithilingam.

Nearly a third of Kodungaiyur residents have difficulty breathing, but no action on waste dump

May 22, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

An in-depth survey by CAG revealed the presence of heavy metals at Chennai’s Kodungaiyur dump yard. As it has a direct, visible impact on public health, remediation of the dump yard is the need of the hour. Realisation, however, does not seem very close.