Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: Sunny weather with some cloud cover.
🧐 Did you know? The oldest recorded document at the Madras Record Office, one of the oldest and largest document repositories in south India, is the first written communication between the East India Company and the Court of Directors in England. The document dates back to 1670.
✈️ Airport goes green
The Chennai airport’s power needs are now met by renewable energy.
What’s it about? The airport’s power needs are now met by renewable energy with a combination of rooftop solar plants, buying power under the green tariff, and procuring solar energy from companies. Solar energy is used for the runway and taxi lights.
- On average, the airport uses more than 63 lakh kWh per month. As officials planned to switch to renewable energy, the terminal lights were switched to LEDs. Two years ago, the airport began using solar to meet 50% of its energy needs with rooftop solar panels.
- The Airport Authority of India’s (AAI) plans to install solar panels on the airport campus didn’t pan out. Some feared it might interfere with flight operations. The new terminal is also energy efficient with a green rating.
Airlines turn: Airlines have also started going green in their own ways. Some have switched to electric for ground and baggage-handling vehicles.
🚍 Unsafe bus shelters
A new report shows 10 bus shelters in the city are unsafe for women.
What’s it about? A safety audit report was done by the Chennai Corporation’s Gender and Policy Lab along with Delhi-based Safetipin and Chennai-based Prajnya. Among the ten bus shelters, nine were managed by the Corporation and one by the highways department. Among the shelters were Ambedkar College, Ashok Pillar, and Saidapet.
- The report’s findings showed the bus shelters lacked adequate lighting, signages, and no nearby pedestrian crossings. The roads leading to the bus stops had no lights. Some were even located near liquor shops.
- Dark spots behind the IOC bus stand were used for illegal activities, and people using drugs were spotted behind the toilets at the Muthamizh Nagar bus depot.
😷 High pollution levels
The city’s PM 2.5 level has been at a hazardous level for most of the year.
What’s it about? The findings of Green Peace India’s “Spare the Air” study showed Chennai’s PM 2.5 levels 4.8 times higher than the normal rate. While the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) safe level is 5 g/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre), Chennai recorded 23.81 g/m3.
- Chennai recorded an increase in pollution levels of 12 times in October and November 2021 and 10 times in April and May 2022. This does make Chennai less polluted compared to cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru.
- The Corporation had ₹180 crore allocated to address air pollution in 2020, but this money was diverted toward civic work. Efforts by officials to popularise non-motorised transport have been rocky.
What can be done? Avinash Chanchal from Green Peace India said travel demand management can be one possible solution. Having congestion charges and low emission zones in the city are possibilities. Verification of polluting vehicles is another option.
♻️ Schools becoming environmentally-conscious
Several city schools are doing away with traditional practices and becoming eco-friendly.
What’s it about? As the new academic year gets underway, traditional practices like wrapping textbooks in brown paper or plastic sheets are being scrapped. Schools are becoming increasingly conscious of the environment and have adopted new initiatives to recycle and repurpose school supplies.
- Schools like DAV, the Velammal Group of Schools, and PS Senior Secondary School, have scrapped the practice of wrapping textbooks. At Shree Niketan Patasala in Thiruvalur, there’s a collection drive for old papers, and they’ve stopped buying A4 sheets.
- At Spartan Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Mogappair, an upcycling initiative is underway where students are taught to repurpose old uniforms into bags and purses. Old saris of student’s mothers are also upcycled to make door mats.
New initiatives: In Chennai, nearly 100 schools have signed up for ITC’s Well-being Out of Waste (WOW) programme, where dry waste is collected and converted into recycled paper. We Recyclers have set up stalls in schools to educate students on the importance of recycling paper.
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🗞️ In other news…
- Window shopping and jaywalking pose challenges to the newly-built T Nagar skywalk.
- Residents are unhappy with the government’s move to merge the St. Thomas Mount-Pallavaram cantonment with the civic body.
- This June has been recorded as one of the hottest in the city’s history.
- The new integrated terminal at the Chennai airport will be fully operational next month.
- Additional funds were sanctioned by the government to upgrade the Guindy Multi-Speciality Hospital.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!