Humanity is not dead.

A heart-warming gesture of a man, which would help the birds stay hydrated.

-Nigamanth.P

In a world filled with selfishness, there is still hope for humanity in actions like this. A corporation badminton ground in mogappair had this pot which immediately caught my attention. The pot literally says, “this belongs to the birds”.

                       As we are aware about the water scarcity situation in Tamil Nadu, particularly in Chennai, it is hard to find adequate water for people living in the city. In such a situation nobody would even have the thought of donating water to someone else. But Mr. Naveen, an IT employee in Mogappair had other ideas. He proved that humanity still exists, by doing such a heart-warming gesture. “In an adverse situation like this, where people are literally fighting to get water, the thought about birds was constantly ringing in my head. I wanted to do something from my side and it was my wife who suggested this idea of hanging a pot filled with water that the birds can drink water” said Naveen, who is also an avid environmentalist.

                      “No one has ever become poor by giving” Said Naveen. He also told that crows and pigeons are the most frequent users of the pot and he would at least see a couple of birds drinking water from the pot every day. Now, it has started raining and this would additionally help the birds by keeping them hydrated.

                         As mother Theresa said, “Give but give until it hurts”, there is nothing wrong in helping the fellow living beings at least in such small things.

 

Pulling the life forward

-Vimalkrishna

Richie street: In older days we have witnessed people transporting goods in carts and cycle rickshaws. It will be hard to find out these types of vehicles nowadays, especially in Chennai. But if you went to Richie street you can see people still using these cycle rickshaws for transporting goods. If you are ready to pay at least ₹200 (price may vary according to goods and distance) they will deliver the goods to your shop. These people are working hard to keep the wolf away from the door even if it is raining or hot. One such carter called Arasu said that he is in this job for the last 23 years and he used to pedal the rickshaw 20 km a day with the goods in it. Some guys even started to use motors in the rickshaw so that they can reach the destination easily and swiftly. However, it is quite amusing to note that even in this modern era of e-marketing and online shopping, these fellows compete really well and are able to earn their livelihood

#cycle_rickshaw

Merchants get comfy under Metro Rail Shade

- Tharini M

The merchants of Tondiarpet market occupy the whole of the left side of Thiruvottiyur High Road because of Metro Rail work.

The Metro rail work as a part of Phase-1 extension in Washermenpet, Tondiarpet, Thiruvottiyur till WIMCO Nagar of North Chennai was started in 2016 and is expected to be completed in 2020. Due to this construction work many parts of Thiruvottiyur High road or TH road is blocked and there are diversions.

About 2 months ago they started the construction of a Tondiarpet station in this New Washermenpet area. Due to this work, the road is blocked on one side and vehicles are only allowed to travel from Thiruvottiyur towards Royapuram for about half a kilometre. A morning market is present in this location which functions till afternoon. Because of the new diversion and change of this route to one way the merchants of this market have occupied the entire lift side of this main road and set up their shops under the Metro Rail line which runs overhead.

“It’s more comfortable for us to set up shops under the metro rail construction as it provides shade for us from the sun,” says Selva, a merchant who sells dresses. They also say that the police sometimes ask them to move their shops if there is too much traffic but other times they don’t mind. Even the buses which come this way takes a turn to the other side of the road for about 10 foot where this market is set up. The merchants also say that many people now come to their shop because there is also more parking space below the Metro Rail track.

The merchants are enjoying this moment till it lasts as things will be back to normal in June 2020 when the construction of Metro Rail phase - 1 extension till WIMCO Nagar is expected to get over.

How chennai will cope if the water crisis continues ?

                                                 Nanganallur
                                                    23/07/2019

When families live on three pots of water a day: Lessons from Chennai
Every locality has a head who distributes water among citizens twice a day  morning and evening. Every day forty families get five buckets of water each. These families get their turn only after two days or sometimes, three. This is to avoid conflict among the citizens for water.

The Two Siblings were drinking water from pot

In Other Streets of Nanganallur, how are people managing with just 15 pots of water for the whole week?

Some use water very cautiously while use the saltwater when in  need. Only a few can afford to buy water from the private tankers.

Across all these low-income localities, it appears that the Sintex tanks have been placed. In many slums, these tanks were always present, but the residents did not really need them. Most of them got water either through hand pumps or piped water supply.

A girl sits patiently while her mother draws water from Tank

Despite having Metro water connections, many people do not get water. So it is the duty of the Chennai Metro water department to ensure fair distribution of water at least through these Sintex tanks.

Wait for water affects regular lives


The uncertainty of water tankers has forced many college students to bunk classes and women to quit their jobs,” said by a Resident In Nanganallur.

Residents of Nanganallur Area Getting water From Metro Lorry

Especially Many men and women in this Area work as domestic maids, electricians and manual scavengers, so that the task of waiting for water is so Tough.Moreover Water has ruined relationships. Close friends turned enemies because of water, says Geetha Resident of Nanganallur.

The current scenario

As August comes close, Chennai is slowly trying to recuperate from one of the gravest water crises ever faced in history. In terms of rainfall, the situation has been the worst in the last 140 years, due primarily to the poor North East monsoon last year. Water supply has never been worse in the last 14 years.

Thanks to some good rain that we received over the last few weeks. It has helped in groundwater recharge, and therefore we can continue to provide water from borewells said by the Resident.

What can citizens do?


On their part, citizens must embrace rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling and water conservation methods for build to restore water.Citizens must understand and push for better water.


                              -   Manisha Suriamoorthy