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Hi,
-- The article below screams out for a data visual! It would be great to see trends of daily highs/lows over the past couple of decades in B'lore. Number of days over 35, ... Also, as far as i know, Bangalore measures temperature in a cool place in IISc rather than a spot on MG Road (which is what people experience). Is that true? Can someone please help with getting Bangalore temperature data history? I have tried searching and the IMD website but found some averages (monthly), but not enough detail. Thanks in advance, Rajesh -------- Activists name and shame heat wave suspects
Bangalore
Mirror Bureau | May 3, 2014, 02.00 AM IST
Soaring
temperature has triggered extensive debate among
Bangaloreans in the past few months. Despite the
claim by weathermen that the mercury levels are
well within the summer normal range, people are
experiencing intense heat across the city. Even as
many wonder what could have made Bangalore — a
city known for its salubrious climate — resemble a
boiling cauldron, environmentalists point fingers
at five major culprits. Nidhi
Yalburgi take a closer look
1. WHOPPING REDUCTION IN TREE COVER As per estimates by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), loss of green cover has opened up the city to direct sunlight. Experts are of the view that in each of the 198 wards of BBMP, there should have been a minimum of 20 per cent green cover. But currently, it ranges between 2-10 per cent, adding to the rise in temperature. A decade ago, the city had 111 villages within its limits, with lots of lung space dotted with large trees, and natural depressions filled with water. But rapid urbanisation has converted all these into a concrete jungle. 2. Disappearance of tanks/lakes Bangalore was once known to have around 940 lakes, but has around 200 lakes on paper today, though many of them are nothing more than sewage pools. Also, around 50-60 per cent of the city's economic activity was earlier centred around agriculture and horticulture. Experts believe that these water bodies, to a certain extent, controlled temperature levels by adding moisture into the atmosphere. Today, many of them are just filled with sewage and absorb more and more heat, releasing greenhouse gases. 3. Glass towers which create heat islands Innumerable glass-fronted buildings across Bangalore are also contributing to the high temperature during summer. Such buildings are a good fit in the city landscapes of countries in the cold West. But when copied to an Indian urban setting, they contribute majorly to the soaring temperature. A study by green activists has revealed that these glass buildings radiate heat, creating heat islands across the city, which then converge to raise surface temperature by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius more than the average. 4. Metallic toys burn more than rubber As automobile and vehicle tyres burn rubber, there's collateral damage to the environment too. As per the study, vehicles, along with buildings, contribute to a 12 per cent increase in the heat level per day. Heat from vehicle combustion, as well as the mixing of sun rays with vehicle emissions, adds to surface temperature. With hardly any green cover to absorb this radiation, the heat gets trapped in the atmosphere and is circulated uniformly along the surface. 5. Lack of open spaces and waste-burning Experts are of the view that open spaces within cities would moderate the climate. Bangalore has already lost several of its lung spaces either to land sharks or illegal settlements. About 40,000 hectares of area around Bangalore is under construction, though a third of it should have been set aside to provide green cover. Additionally, about 10-15 per cent of municipal waste is being burnt everyday, releasing dangerous hydrocarbons into the environment. The actual victims of this mindless urbanisation are the old citizens of Bangalore as they are unable to cope up with climatic changes. Large-scale radiation by buildings in the absence of trees has increased the levels of ground level or bad ozone, and hundreds of reports in this regard have been quietly sidelined. What we need is political will to tackle these activities. A N Yallappa Reddy, IFS (Rtd), ecologist Urban planners need to focus more on increasing green cover at the ward level. Green cover at every ward is important as it would balance the heat radiation from buildings and other structures. But unfortunately, afforestation in recent times has come down drastically. Instead, cutting of trees has become the order of the day resulting in gradual increase of temperature. Harish Bhat, researcher and biodiversity expert Developers and builders are contributors to the agonising rise in temperature. The erstwhile string of lakes would have cooled the heat wave. But today, encroachment and draining of lakes has almost doubled the temperature levels. The situation is such that even rain water is evaporated in a matter of few hours, owing to intense heat at the ground level. Suresh Heblikar, Environmentalist For more details about this list http://datameet.org/discussions/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "datameet" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to datameet+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. |
- [datameet] Need temperature data | Activists name and sham... Rajesh Shah
