BENGALURU: The scorching summer this year is seeing the city get hot, hotter and hottest. And Ballari Road at 40.04 degrees Celsius has been identified as the hottest place in Bengaluru. This is the stretch near Hebbal. The reasons attributed are high-rise buildings, other construction activities and lack of tree cover.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru recorded 37 degrees Celsius on Thursday, which is three degrees above normal during April.
Pavan Srinath, a weather enthusiast and co-founder of Citizen Weather Network, with the help of Automated Weather Station (AWS), has captured real-time weather data at various locations in Bengaluru, which has revealed that the temperature varies from place to place.
According to the data available with the Express from CWN, on Thursday, Hebbal recorded a maximum of 40.04 degrees Celsius. GKVK campus and Jayanagar have recorded the lowest -- 35.6 and 34.35 degrees Celsius respectively -- on the same day. Interestingly, GKVK, that houses large number of trees, is also located on Ballari Road.
Speaking to Express, noted environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy said the temperature of a place depends on the vegetation and high-rise buildings. “There will be a difference between 3 to 10 degrees Celsius. Iron and steel are increasingly being used in various construction works. These materials have the capacity to increase the ambient temperature. More the iron or steel used, more will be the heat generation,” Reddy said.
“If there are trees, the canopy will absorb 70 per cent of the heat, thus bringing the temperature down,” he stated.
Reddy said the rise in temperature will have a major impact on ecology. “There will be a change in the penology period (flowering, fruiting and leaf shredding). This could damage crops and affect harvests,” Reddy said.
Reddy also pointed out that carbon particulate matter emission is high because of the increasing number of vehicles, burning of wastes and cutting down of trees. “Particulate matter forms a thick layer, when sun rays penetrate this layer, more heat is emitted. This will ultimately impact our health,” he said.
Reddy said if people start planting the saplings now, it might take four to ten years to get a green canopy. “The local corporation (in Bengaluru, it is BBMP), should focus on tree parks rather than planting ornamental plants or lawn. If we do not plant now, our future will be miserable,” he said.
Massive Loss to City According to
Prof T V Ramachandra from Centre for Ecological Sciences in Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru has lost 78 per cent of vegetation in the last four decades due to urbanisation. “We have also lost 79 per cent of water sources in city during the same time,” he said.
Making Sense of the Heat
According to a study by the Centre for Ecological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, the city is witnessing depletion of wetlands and vegetation cover. Pockets in the city that are undergoing intense urbanisation experience a temperature that is 1 to 1.5 degrees more than the rest of the city.
Bengaluru is an urban heat island according to the study. Increasing emissions from vehicles, lack of vegetation and wetlands and faulty architecture attribute to the high temperatures.