CHENNAI: With new projects including smart cities coming into focus, the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras is preparing a blueprint to set up a Centre of Excellence in Construction Engineering

CHENNAI: Could the move by Hindustan Unilever to bring down mercury level in the factory site to 20mg/kg pose no threat to to the ecologically sensitive watershed in Kodaikanal?

CHENNAI: The city planners are toying with the idea of making it mandatory for all multi-storied buildings to install rooftop solar panels to generate green energy.

CHENNAI: The city is waking up to the threat faced by the Muttukadu estuary due to unbridled urbanisation that has resulted in high-rises and industries on its banks.

The first pilot biomethanation plant of the Chennai Corporation that uses Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) technology will be launched in Pulianthope soon.

The pilot plant, which will be ready in 45 days, will have the capacity to convert two metric tonnes of bio-degradable waste into 40 KV of power and 160-170 kg of manure.

The 5,000 tonnes of garbage generated in the city per day has the potential to be converted to 12 crore litre of aviation fuel and 4.5 crore litre of diesel per year.

An expert told Express that through plasma gasification and vitrification process, a technology developed by NASA, the garbage could be generated into wealth.

The groundwater table in Chennai has seen a dip of 0.6 metres in the last one year owing to the lack of adequate rain coupled with heavy extraction, according to Chennai Metro Water.

In a bid to ensure food security, India and Norway are working on a four-year project to improve climate change adaptive capacity of agriculture and water sectors in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The main objective is to map vulnerability, gaps and preparedness to address impacts of climate change on agriculture and water sectors besides selecting and applying suitable climate and hydrology scenarios.