On a busy street in Chennai city’s Royapettah neighbourhood, TNM met Kavitha, who delivers water cans to offices and homes. In the afternoon, she sells vegetables. For both jobs, she uses a blue-and-white e-auto — an electric-powered goods-carrying autorickshaw that doubles as a roadside shop. Neat rows of vegetables line the shelves in the carriage attached to the back of the vehicle. Traditional manjappai (yellow cloth bags) hang from one side.
Kavitha’s e-auto and her manjappai represent two initiatives by the Tamil Nadu government to tackle the growing challenges of urban climate stress.
She is one of 100 women in Chennai who received specially designed e-autos under the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission. The initiative aims to combine clean mobility, women’s empowerment, and climate adaptation. The women-owned mobile shops also promote the state government’s Meendum Manjappai campaign, which urges people to abandon plastic bags for the manjappai that are deeply rooted in Tamil culture.
The Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission, encompassing several initiatives, was announced in 2022 with a total budget allocation of Rs 500 crore. The Meendum Manjappai campaign was launched the same year, and the distribution of e-autos began in March 2025.
The state government also allocated Rs 849.21 crore to the Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department in the 2022-2023 budget.
Kavitha remembers riding through the narrow lanes of Royapettah, balancing heavy water cans on her bicycle, often drenched in rain or reeling under the scorching sun. “On rainy days, I couldn’t work at all. And in extreme heat, I often fell sick,” recalls the 45-year-old vendor, who once had to turn down bulk orders simply because she couldn’t transport them.
“Now I deliver water in the mornings and sell vegetables during the rest of the day, all from the same vehicle,” she says, seated in her mobile vegetable stall. “This e-auto saved me, especially from the worst of the weather,” she adds.
Depika, a vegetable vendor from north Chennai—where lowered caste, working-class communities largely live—used to sit by the roadside for hours, exposed to the elements. “Even when I was unwell or on my period, I had no choice but to work. I couldn’t afford to rent a shop,” she says. “I used to get heat burns from sitting in the sun. But now I can sit comfortably inside my e-auto and even bring my child along. It’s a huge relief.”
Children can often be spotted resting inside these mobile shops while their mothers sell vegetables and fruits.
So far, Rs 3.87 crore has been allocated for the distribution of e-autos through women’s self-help groups (SHGs). The state government plans to scale up the initiative to distribute 500 more vehicles in Chennai with a total outlay of Rs 20 crore.
Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, explained the thinking behind the policy: “Women—particularly those in rural, agricultural, and coastal communities—are often first responders to climate impacts. Yet, historically, they are under-represented in decision-making. Recognising this, the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission has placed gender equity at the heart of its design and delivery.”
She adds that the e-autos serve a dual purpose. “While enabling livelihood and mobility, they help spread awareness on single-use plastic bans, waste management, and environmental stewardship,” Supriya says.
“The Economic Survey of Tamil Nadu 2024-25 explicitly highlights the state's efforts to link SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), underscoring Tamil Nadu's commitment to a gender-just transition,” she says. SDG refers to Sustainable Development Goals.
The SDGs adopted by United Nations member states under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are a universal, people-centred blueprint for achieving economic, social, and environmental progress. They also tackle urgent concerns such as poverty, inequality, climate change, and gender injustice.
SDG 5 seeks to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. SDG 13 urges urgent action against climate change and its impacts, with many targets set for 2030 or earlier.
“While there is more to do, including building gender-disaggregated climate data and scaling up women-led green enterprises, Tamil Nadu's approach is pioneering in viewing women not just as beneficiaries of climate policy but as co-creators of resilient futures,” Supriya adds.
Perumal, the e-auto scheme’s assistant project officer, highlights how the programme is structured: “We identify self-help groups and allot the e-autos to women vendors. The vehicles cannot be sold. We’ve included safeguards to prevent misuse. They can be parked and charged for free at corporation-designated spaces. Each beneficiary pays the state government a usage fee of just Rs 100 per day.”
He adds that the beneficiary list for the next phase is already being prepared, with more vehicles expected to be distributed soon. “This programme is meant to create safer, more stable livelihoods for women, especially since they’re more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions,” he said.
In Chennai, the initiative is being jointly implemented by the Environment and Climate Change Department, the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Women Development (TNCWD), and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).
The story of these 100 women is just one example of how Tamil Nadu’s Climate Change Mission is beginning to make a tangible impact on the ground, according to government claims.
According to the Indian government’s apex policy think tank NITI Aayog, by 2050, 36 of Tamil Nadu’s 38 districts are projected to face absolute water scarcity. No other state in the country is staring at such a drastic decline. Seventeen districts are already struggling with acute shortages, NITI Aayog also noted.
As per a 2024 Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) report, Tamil Nadu’s stage of groundwater extraction is at 74%.
The CGWB assessed the quality of groundwater in 313 taluks in the state. It categorised the groundwater in 106 taluks (33.87%) as overexploited. Another 20 taluks (6.4%) were categorised as critical, and 55 taluks (17.6%) were categorised as semi-critical. Further, 127 taluks (40.3%) were marked safe, and 5 taluks (1.60%) were categorised as saline. The report also says that the annual groundwater recharge has marginally reduced.
Previously, a 2022 CGWB report said that Tamil Nadu was the only southern state where over 25% of assessed taluks had groundwater classified as over-exploited or critical.
The Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission was launched in this backdrop. At the time, Chief Minister MK Stalin declared that the state would achieve carbon neutrality well ahead of the national deadline of 2070. Emphasising the need for urgent and structural interventions, the CM referred to the crisis as a “humanitarian issue”.
Each district in Tamil Nadu has a different type of terrain, and each district needs a different approach, officials point out. That is why the state has taken a “systematic and decentralised approach”, they add.
“The District Climate Missions (DCM) are run by district collectors, making climate action more connected to local communities,” Supriya says, adding, “The DCMs prepare tailored climate action plans and identify local vulnerabilities. They also carry out mitigation and adaptation measures. These range from increasing green cover and water security to promoting clean mobility,” she says.
Supriya adds, “In districts like Virudhunagar and Nilgiris, the forest, rural development, agriculture, and education departments are jointly implementing integrated climate actions under the DCM. The result is not only increased awareness but also a collective sense of responsibility that is essential in the long term.”
An arid climate and an annual average rainfall of just 96.5 mm have long defined Virudhunagar, a district in central Tamil Nadu. Waiting in line for drinking water from tankers is a common sight at the height of summer every year.
Starting in 2024, the state government dug ponds on barren lands to collect even meagre rainfall and planted saplings in a bid to boost the district’s green cover.
By May 2025, there were visible changes in the most drought-affected areas in the district, such as Sattur.
“In May last year, people were queueing up for a pot of drinking water. Now our wells are serving even our agricultural needs. This is the first time in years we've seen so much water in mid-summer,” says Raja, a farmer from Sattur. He adds that the water level in wells has risen by about 10 feet in a matter of six months. “Farming in the coming summers may not be tough,” Raja believes.
Maniraj, a farmer from Virudhunagar’s Sivakasi, says, “In peak summer the soil is usually dry and cracked. This year, it’s still moist. Even a small amount of summer rain fills the pond, and my cattle are able to drink from it.”
From October 2024 to May 2025, over 2,500 ponds were dug across Virudhunagar’s highly drought-prone eastern belt. The labour-intensive work was carried out under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
“The average depth of the ponds is 5 to 6.5 feet,” says Dandapani. “Manual digging beyond that depth is tough. But even at the present depth, the ponds are making a difference by helping recharge wells and provide drinking water for cattle.”
According to officials, the excavated soil isn’t wasted. It's repurposed for bunding and strengthening the pond’s edges to prevent erosion and reduce seepage.
The state government is combining water conservation methods with afforestation efforts.
In 2024, about 30 lakh trees were planted across the district. They were raised in 11 nurseries that grow teakwood, redwood, mahogany, sandalwood, lebbek, portia, and fruit-bearing trees. The saplings are replanted only after they reach a minimum height of 6 feet. Sections of the nurseries are named after historical figures from Tamil Nadu, including Kapilar and Periyar.
TNM visited the nursery in Sattur that spread out across more than 17 acres.
Virudhunagar district collector VP Jayaseelan says there has been a visible change. “Our target is to plant one crore saplings a year. Even if only 30% survive, that’s three crore trees over the next decade. The increase in groundwater levels and the ability to cultivate crops in May are tangible proof of this initiative’s success,” he says.
Jayaseelan adds that the aim is to increase the district’s green cover from just 8.06% to 36% by 2030. “We water and monitor every sapling for the first three years. This isn’t just about planting trees. It’s also about ensuring they survive,” he says.
“We’ve repurposed poramboke (government) lands for nurseries,” says R Dandapani, project director at the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA). “Eleven nurseries are run by the DRDA, and another by the forest department. This is a collective mission involving the rural development, horticulture, agriculture and forestry departments. It’s all hands on deck.”
Virudhunagar’s local administration has also launched the Green Enthusiast Programme, giving weekly training on climate and environmental issues to schoolchildren. Nearly 20,000 students have completed the programme so far.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Green Fellowship has placed a dedicated “Green Fellow” in each district, anchoring inter-departmental efforts. The fellowship is open to individuals with at least two years of experience in life sciences, environmental sciences, management, ecology, forestry, wildlife, public policy, or related fields. They are paid a monthly stipend of Rs 65,000.
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have also been roped in. The Pradhan Foundation, backed by funding from private companies, is focusing on water conservation projects in the eastern drought-prone pockets.
However, TNM observed that although the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission targets the entire state, some initiatives—like the construction of ponds and planting saplings—are limited to just a few districts.
One of the first steps of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission was to revive the long-dormant Climate Studio. It functions under Anna University’s Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management (CCCDM) in Chennai.
The Climate Studio aims to operate as the nerve centre for the state’s data-driven climate policy.
Here, experts monitor climatic conditions. When TNM visited the studio, at least five scientists were present, focusing on mapping weather and climate patterns across the state.
Set up in 2019, the studio had remained largely unused. In 2023, it was reactivated and transformed into a high-tech climate research and modelling facility.
“The Climate Studio is critical for the periodical assessment of climate impact on agriculture, water, biodiversity, and forests,” said Professor A Ramachandran, emeritus professor and founder-director of CCCDM, who also serves on the Chief Minister’s Climate Mission Governing Council.
Equipped with a high-performance supercomputer and digital modelling tools, the studio supports a wide range of activities, from developing district-level climate profiles and vulnerability assessments to testing adaptation strategies and training state officials and stakeholders.
Among the most concerning findings is the projection that Krishnagiri, Ramanathapuram, Dharmapuri, Tirupathur, and Virudhunagar districts are likely to experience severe droughts approximately four to six times more frequently over the next three decades. These droughts, driven by changes in monsoon behaviour and temperature rise, are expected to cause significant ecological and economic disruptions.
Coastal districts such as Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, and Chennai face a different kind of threat, the Climate Studio says. Projections show that these areas may witness a 2.5-fold increase in extreme rainfall events within shorter timeframes. This poses an acute risk of flash floods, particularly in urbanised and low-lying zones, where existing drainage and water retention infrastructure is already under strain.
“Climate Studio is a great initiative. Every state should have one,” Ramachandran says. “We have enough expert resources and knowledge in the country. What we need is funding and implementation.” He claims that this is the only facility of its kind in India.
Ramachandran adds that the studio produces detailed, sector-specific reports for the state government to help shape policy and prioritise climate action.
Over the past decade, Tamil Nadu has seen a sharp rise in extreme weather events. Cyclones such as Vardah (2016), Ockhi (2017), Gaja (2018), Mandous (2020), and Michaung (2023) have battered the coast. Severe floods were recorded in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and again in 2023. Years like 2016, 2020, 2021, and 2022 were marked by intense droughts that devastated agriculture and water availability.
The studio bases part of its work on climate projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), especially the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) and its Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs).
The IPCC is an international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was set up by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The IPCC is tasked with providing regular assessments on the scientific basis of climate change, impacts and future risks, as well as suggestions for adaptation and mitigation.
The AR6 brings together the latest global scientific knowledge on climate change, its effects, future risks, and measures that can be taken to reduce harm.
SSPs are scenarios that explore how global societal trends like population, economic growth, and technology might influence future greenhouse gas emissions.
Tamil Nadu has adopted an advanced climate model called EC-Earth to better understand how the climate might change in the future.
Developed by the EC‑Earth consortium, the EC‑Earth global climate model is based on the model used by the European Centre for Medium‑Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The EC-Earth model was originally developed to study global climate, including the atmosphere, oceans, and sea ice, as well as factors such as air pollution.
In Tamil Nadu, the EC-Earth model has been adjusted to give detailed results for smaller areas, which helps understand climate changes at the district level. The model provides future climate predictions based on two possible scenarios: SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 pathways.
SSP2-4.5 is a moderate scenario in which development happens steadily and pollution levels peak around the middle of the century, leading to a manageable level of global warming. SSP5-8.5 refers to a high-pollution scenario in which fossil fuel use continues to grow rapidly, causing much more serious warming.
These climate predictions help the state make better plans for dealing with extreme weather, farming, water use, and protecting people from future climate risks.
Through a hydrological modelling project, the studio also conducted what it called a “climate risk” assessment of 17 river basins across the state, analysing risks of both floods and droughts. Based on these projections, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, and Chennai districts potentially have the highest flood vulnerability in the future.
“We assess risk factors across the vectors of temperature, rainfall, agriculture, forestry, and coastal ecosystems. We also offer adaptation recommendations,” says Ramachandran. “These are not one-off reports. They are periodic, updated, and scientifically grounded. We see our role not just as a research centre but as a bridge between climate science and public policy,” he adds.
As the climate crisis intensifies, Tamil Nadu’s experiment with data-driven climate planning may serve as a model for other states. For now, the studio remains a quiet, humming lab tucked away inside a university campus. But its findings are already shaping how an entire state can prepare for a hotter, wetter, and more unpredictable future.
While the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission’s aim to support women vendors is ambitious, activists question the project’s accessibility for the state’s 38 million women.
Is distributing 100 e-autos a meaningful step against Chennai’s heat stress and air pollution, or will the project remain symbolic unless scaled up, they ask?
Environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman says core infrastructural and equity issues for women vendors remain unresolved. “Many roadside vendors lack access to clean toilets, causing severe health problems as they age, such as bladder and urinary tract issues. These concerns demand attention but continue to be ignored,” he says.
“There should be adequate clean drinking water and toilet facilities nearby. These are essentials regardless of any ecological crisis. With climate change and rising heat, such problems only worsen,” he adds.
He also highlights the housing crisis for urban women. “In Chennai, women live in horrible conditions, in houses without windows. Those houses are not fit for habitation,” Nityanand alleges.
Reports say families evicted and relocated from 100 Chennai slums lack access to proper drinking water and drainage. A 2024 study by the Information & Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) reportedly found that there are 8,331 homeless people in Chennai, with families making up 69% of this number.
Dr Saravanan Thangarajan is a global health researcher at Harvard Medical School who has extensively researched the impacts of climate change on maternal health in Tamil Nadu. He argues that the state’s climate mission must include caregivers, mothers in rural areas, and informal workers. “While the state’s initiatives focus on adaptation strategies, there is a lack of specific policies to address maternal and infant health vulnerabilities,” he says.
“Giving e-carts to women vendors helps urban micro-entrepreneurs, but the climate burden is borne far more broadly. In rural districts, I met pregnant women who had to walk several kilometres in the heat to fetch water. Caregivers of disabled children told me they delayed hospital visits during floods because ambulances couldn’t reach them,” Saravanan recalls.
In his study, supported by the Harvard Center for International Development, he found stark evidence of climate stress on mothers and infants. “91% of mothers report infant sleep disturbances caused by extreme heat. One in five women face anxiety disorders during pregnancy or postpartum. 38% of mothers report that their infants experience breathing difficulties in summer. 82% suffer sleep deprivation due to extreme weather conditions. Only 8% of new mothers in Tamil Nadu have access to mental health support,” the report says.
Saravanan adds, “In our study, 67% of mothers reported severe stress during extreme heat, with even greater strain on mothers of children with disabilities. They are silent casualties of climate stress, yet rarely factored into plans.”
He also points out that Public Health Centres (PHCs) and Anganwadi workers must be trained to offer basic psychosocial first aid. “Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) must include heatwave protocols and support for caregivers. Mental health support isn’t optional. It’s central to resilience,” Saravanan adds.
Saravanan’s fieldwork across Tamil Nadu documented how heat and floods shape maternal health crises. In districts like Nagapattinam and Cuddalore, women are forced to deliver babies by candlelight during floods. Power cuts disrupted medication storage. Heatwaves forced pregnant women into shared tin-roof rooms with no ventilation.
He recalls how one mother he met had to put wet sacks on her roof during a heatwave to cool the room for her child with a birth disability. Another had to wait days for floodwaters to recede before she could reach a clinic.
“We need disaster-resilient maternal wards, mobile prenatal units, and digital alerts for high-risk pregnancies during climate events. Just like cyclone shelters, climate-ready birth care should be non-negotiable,” he says.
He also emphasises, “Women need to be more than beneficiaries. They must be planners. At present, climate planning boards rarely include women from frontline communities. Gender isn't just a 'target group'. It's a governance imperative. Tamil Nadu can lead by forming a gender and climate resilience sub-mission. District-level boards should mandate 50% female representation, especially from tribal, rural, and disabled communities.”
Saravanan adds, “Climate resilience isn’t just about infrastructure. We must think about who is allowed to be safe and who is expected to survive quietly.”
In several districts, proposed projects are yet to take off. “It depends on the team and the interest of those involved. In Virudhunagar, the district collector has a background in agriculture and a genuine interest in environmental protection. He also had a strong team. Only a few other districts have implemented the DCM effectively,” says a senior Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer from Tamil Nadu.
While gender-focused projects for women vendors have gained some momentum in Chennai, structured support for rural women, especially those in the agricultural sector—hit the hardest by extreme weather—remains limited. Frequent transfers of district collectors and senior officers further disrupt efforts.
Development professional Karthik Gurunathan says, The state government has ambitious plans, but a lot remains to be done. The state is aiming for a full shift to renewable energy between 2040 and 2050. Yet a new thermal plant was proposed recently, with another planned in the south. They are contradicting their own commitments.”
He also stresses the need for stricter land-use planning in high-risk areas and stronger capacity-building within government departments.
Nityanand criticises the state for launching a climate mission while also pushing policies that undermine mitigation efforts. “If you have not changed the basic model of your economy, how will you combat climate change? The state government wants to build a 25-kilometre flyover from north to south Chennai, along and over the sea. There are proposals for larger desalination plants, more coal-fired power plants, and an increase in oil refining capacity. Tamil Nadu already refines 11 million tonnes of oil, but the government wants to double that,” he says.