If a research project of the IIT-Madras bears fruit, clean drinking water might just become an affordable commodity for the poor. The project, aimed at coming up with a low-cost, low-maintenance water filtration system to filter water and remove pathogens from it, seems to have achieved just that. What’s more, researchers say their solution is so simple that every household can build its own unit.

As many as 172 roads in the new areas of Chennai Corporation will be taken up for integrated redevelopment. Stormwater drains, pavements, streetlights and ducts for electrical cables would be provided besides re-laying of the roads under the project.

The new initiative would cover 112 km of roads in the Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur zones of the civic body.

The roads are in new areas of the Chennai Corporation

As many as 172 roads in the new areas of Chennai Corporation will be taken up for integrated redevelopment. Stormwater drains, pavements, streetlights and ducts for electrical cables would be provided besides re-laying of the roads under the project.

Design of route map of all 200 wards completed

A new garbage collection and street cleaning mechanism has been introduced in the city. This follows the completion of design of the route map of all 200 wards of the Chennai Corporation.

New system for conservancy inspectors and assistant executive engineers launched

As part of its efforts to improve and streamline garbage collection in the city, the Chennai Corporation has launched a new system for its conservancy inspectors and assistant executive engineers. Deputy Commissioner R.Anandakumar said that the over 200 CIs and 45 AEE will have to send text messages with details of garbage collection by compactors and by conservancy staff to a common mobile number.

The Chennai Corporation will construct a stormwater drain network, totalling nearly 800 km, in the areas that have been merged with it as part of the measures to prevent water-logging.

The new areas come under the Corporation zones of Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur. Areas where water-logging is severe would receive priority in implementation of the project.

CHENNAI: To improve basic infrastructure facilities in cities and urban areas in the state, Tamil Nadu government today decided to start a scheme at a cost of Rs 6,653 crore. Under the "Integrated Urban Development Scheme", basic infrastructure, including drinking water, sewage water removal, health, rain water drainage, roads and streets, solid waste management, parking facilities and parks will be improved in corporation and townships at a cost of Rs 5,890 crore, an official release said.

Air pollution levels will be monitored at as many as 14 locations in the city this Bhogi by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).

This would be five more than last year and the decision to increase the number of locations was taken in view of expanded Chennai Corporation limits. Ambattur, Tiruvottiyur, Perungudi figure in the list of new locations. The details of TNPCB's measures, mainly by creating awareness, to prevent burning of waste during Bhogi were announced here on Wednesday by its senior officials and Environment Minister B.V.Ramana.

German Consul General delivers convocation address at Geedee Technical Training Institute

Renewable energy was a potential sector that industries could focus on. Around 20 per cent of energy requirements in Germany was met through renewable energy. The Government had decided to gradually phase out all the nuclear plants by 2022, said Dr. Stefan Weckbach, Consul General of German Consulate, Chennai.

CHENNAI: As work on the grade separator project at the Anna Arch junction on E V R Salai (Poonamalee High Road) kicks off, close to 10 trees opposite the Aringnar Anna Government hospital of Indian Medicine were pulled down in the last few days.

Six fully grown trees were chopped down on Tuesday to clear the way for the Rs 117-crore grade separator, which will come as a boon to motorists using the busy intersection as it would facilitate smooth movement of vehicles on