CHENNAI: Every day we consume a huge number of news from apps. While we go on to check out every one of them, how many times do we verify the facts?
In March 2020 when a lot of information was shared online by various portals, sometimes without cross-checking that went on to create panic, city-based Shyam Sundar thought about directing his interest to sharing verified information. “I consume a lot of news and keep sharing it on my WhatsApp status and Instagram stories. Later, friends and family suggested that I start a separate page so that it reaches more people,” he says.
The automotive engineer then started an online portal, Covid19Chennai. Here, locals could find helpline contacts, government regulations, and restrictions in one place. “The website is 100 percent privacy-proof. There are no trackers or advertisements on the page. Thus, making it faster to use. Apart from this, people can always follow the posts on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn,” he shares.
Soon, in December 2021, rains lashed the city. As per reports in The New Indian Express, “The year is the third wettest year of all time.” It was then that Shyam started working on rebranding the website, and called it NewsofChennai.
For the people
“NewsofChennai is a citizen service platform wherein whenever a need arises — for example, it could be a cyclone, rain, or any public information, which needs to be circulated — the website is open to access,” he says.
For the past three years, the page has been providing authentic information including helplines, relief centres, weather conditions, journalists to follow, a dos and don’ts guide, lake levels, advisory from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), and medical emergencies. During the red alert last week, the site sprung to action again.
The open-source GitHub-based website is a collaborative effort by Shyam and his school friend, Archana. The weather data on the website is sourced from Weather Union, a Zomato initiative. “The company has installed local weather stations in 20-30 places, across the city, to get localised weather. This move provides localised weather, which people are missing. IMD does not have it, as of now, because they maintain only a radar and satellite-based system. This imparts citizens a good understanding of accumulation precipitation,” he says.
Lake-level data is popular among people, and Chennai Metropolitan Water and Sewage Board is the official source. “We update the levels once every two days. This was started with the motive for the people to have peace of mind,” he adds. The website’s main page has a running “ticker tape” on the top when there are “instant updates”. This could be the alerts issued for rainfall, cyclone lake levels, and others.
During the past week’s rains, a number of people asked for help on their Instagram handle. Shyam recalls an incident, and shares, “One of the streets of T Nagar was flooded. I told her to locate her ward number and reach out to the councillor because the 1913, corporation helpline, might be flooded with requests. She spoke to the councillor and the complaint was registered.”
Open for all, all seasons
Now that accessing information has become easier, the next is internet connectivity. “In times like floods and cyclones, internet accessibility can be difficult. To solve that, in a couple of weeks, at least for Chennai rains, there will be a single PDF which people can download and save on their phone, “ he mentions. A Tamil version of the website is in the design process to make the process even more convenient.
Before the next phase of rain starts, Shyam plans to add some basic information such as definitions of heavy or light rainfall to the website. “We are looking if people have data such as a flood map. This will help people to be cautious. If people could help us with that, we would love to add it to our website,” he adds.
After the rainy season ends, this NewsofChennai website will contain general sites where people can access information about Chennai.
Follow newsofchennai.in