Chennai Water Crisis

As rescue boats retreat from the flooded streets and crocodiles return to their habitat, a pressing question remains: What about our focus on urban planning?

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday urged the Centre to re-introduce direct flight connectivity between Tokyo and Chennai and increase the number of flights from Singapore to Madurai. Writing to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiradiya Scindia, Stalin said the direct flight service between Chennai and Tokyo, launched in October 2019 by All Nippon Airways, was discontinued during the Covid-19 pandemic. The service is yet to resumed and the lack of direct flight connectivity more than doubles the travel time between these two destinations by about 7 hours, he noted. "There have been persistent requests from the Japanese business community in Tamil Nadu to resume direct flight services between Chennai and Tokyo." Stalin pointed to the presence of a string of manufacturing facilities of Japanese conglomerates such as the Nissan and Mitsubishi in Tamil Nadu, the increase in the number of Japanese expatriates; Chennai being home to the largest Japanese community in India

It is South East Asia's largest such order for treating water meant for public use

Water treatment company Va Tech Wabag (WABAG) has bagged a Rs 4,400-crore seawater reverse osmosis project in Tamil Nadu which after completion would be the largest sea-water desalination project in the South East Asia region. The project has been bagged in a joint venture with Metito Overseas Ltd and will be implemented on a design, build, operate (DBO) model, the Chennai-based company said in a statement on Friday. "WABAG with JV partner Metito Overseas wins a seawater reverse osmosis project from Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board. The Rs 4,400-crore is South East Asia's largest ever sea water desalination with capacity of 400 MLD project funded by JICA," it said. This DBO order includes the scope of design, engineering, procurement, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of the 400 MLD (million litres day) SWRO desalination plant and the associated seawater intake system over a period of 42 months followed by 20 years of operation & maintenance

The report says that Chennai may sink by up to 1.87 feet under water

The ancient south Indian port has become a case study in what can go wrong when industrialisation, urbanisation and a booming metropolis paves over flood plain to meet demand for new homes, factories

The capital city of Chennai and its neighbourhoods suffered one of the worst water crises in the summer of 2019, as dried up lakes and plummeting water tables added to the misery of the common man

The third of a five-part series highlights how recycling of waste water is the only way to fight drought

The need of the hour to tackle water crisis situation in India is issuance of government advisories and campaigning in public media for the efficient use of water

As one of the fastest urbanising countries in the world, Indian cities need to respond to symptoms of acute water crisis and fix water mismanagement

Chennai has been grappling with an acute water crisis over the past four months. The southern metropolis is facing a daily water deficit of at least 200 million litres.

The train was supposed to reach on Thursday, but leakages in the valves led to the delay

The real game changer for these companies is the adoption of methods that curtail water usage in the first place

As in 1943, India's poor and landless (whether in urban or rural areas) are the ones who suffer, while the wealthy and landed prosper

MNREGA workers are now part of Jal Shakti programme

Other Indian cities, including the capital New Delhi and Bengaluru, are also grappling with water shortages

With borewells and wells going dry in parts of Tamil Nadu, the demand for water has gone up manifold

Chennai's water crisis has jolted the govt into action

If Indians run short of water as well, one of the world's most populous nations could well become unlivable

A deficit rainfall during the 2017 and failed monsoon in 2018 has resulted in depletion of ground water and near drying up of major waterbodies, and has pushed residents at the mercy of water-tankers.