Vijay GarG
(Cities are getting hotter than rural areas)
To prevent the rising temperature of cities, it is most important that the geographical location, weather and air-flow should be properly planned there. Along with this, there are efforts like whitewashing, greenery protection and expansion on the roof of the houses, protection of water sources, reduction in cementation, rainwater harvesting, reduction in the number of vehicles and ACs etc. which can be helpful in reducing the intensity of heat.
Cities are hot during the summer season, but in the last few years it has been estimated that they are becoming hotter and furnace-like. In the last 10-12 years, the number of cities in our country has been the highest among the polluted cities of the world, but now the number of cities of our country is increasing even among the hot cities of the world. In the year 2019, in the first week of June, 10 of the 15 hottest cities in the world were from our country.
According to meteorologists, after the winter this year, hot winds had started blowing in March itself and spring could not be felt. America’s National Aeronautics and A Space Administration (NASA), along with a partner organization, had said on the basis of satellite images that on April 30, in many parts of the country, the surface temperature of the Earth was more than 60 degrees Celsius, which is normal. : Lives between 45 to 55.
In the middle of May (around May 15), 12 of the 15 hottest cities in the world were from our country and the temperature in Banda, Uttar Pradesh was recorded at 41 degrees. According to meteorologists and environmentalists, in the year 2021-22, the temperature also increased due to some unusual events of the atmosphere, such as prolonged dry weather, lack of rainfall in many areas, disturbances in winter rainfall (Mawtha) and March 22 By becoming an area of high pressure, it will remain in place till April etc.
Global climate change, global warming, more local causes than the ‘El Nino effect’ have been attributed to the furnace heating of cities. These reasons include pucca construction work (houses, roads, sidewalks, markets, dividers etc.), reduction in greenery - especially the number of trees, lack or elimination of wetlands and water sources, increasing number of vehicles, air conditioning. The increasing trend of air pollution and increasing arson incidents are the main ones.
It has also been found that cities are getting hotter than rural areas. Till the 60s, the number of kutcha constructions in our country was very high, but later all cement-concrete constructions became pucca constructions. In most of the cities, 90 percent of the constructions have been completed. All of them absorb heat during the day and take it out later, due to which the temperature rises by about 02 degrees. In many houses, glass is helpful in raising the temperature and local weather and air flow are not taken into account while building pucca houses.
The number of trees is decreasing due to various construction works. In March this year, the ‘Union Environment Minister’ had told in the Lok Sabha that 31 lakh trees have been cut for the construction of various projects in the country in the year 2021-22. In Indore, the cleanest city of the country, the ‘Naulakha-kshetra’ of nine lakh trees has also remained the same name. The Center for Global Development (Washington DC) said on the basis of its study five years ago that construction work has increased by 20 percent in most cities and greenery has reduced to an average of 2 percent.
Due to concrete construction works, the amount of ground water has also decreased. At the time of independence, there were 24 lakh ponds and johads in the country, whose number had come down to around 5 lakhs by the year 2000. Due to the deepening of groundwater and the lack of surface water sources, the moisture in the soil starts decreasing and the surface temperature of the earth starts rising. contributes to increase. The increasing trend of air-conditioners installed to deal with the heat, instead of keeping the house cool, release hot air outside, which increases the temperature. Large number of ACs An approximately 1 degree increase in night temperature in the city of Phoenix has been estimated using the.
In the air-pollution spread in the cities, the smog created by the smoke also helps in increasing the temperature by forming a layer. This situation is created due to less air flow. The increasing incidents of arson in summer and the work of burning garbage secretly also helps in increasing the heat a little. In Indore city itself, there have been more than 50 arson incidents in 11 days (30 April to 11 May). It is also pertinent to note that the temperature does not rise uniformly over the entire geographical area of the city. Paved and dense areas are more and open areas with greenery are less hot.
The ‘British Meteorological Department’ has warned in a recently released report that due to the effects of climate change, North and West India will witness record-breaking heat and the temperature of most cities will remain around 40 to 50 degrees during the summer season. Local authorities in Athens (Greek), Miami-Dade-County and Freetown Sieta have appointed ‘heat-officers’ to deal with the problem of cities becoming furnace due to rising temperatures. These officers study and explain how the rising temperature can be reduced.
To prevent the rising temperature of cities, it is most important that the geographical location, weather and air-flow should be properly planned there. Along with this, there are efforts like whitewashing, greenery protection and expansion on the roof of the houses, protection of water sources, reduction in cementation, rainwater harvesting, reduction in the number of vehicles and ACs etc. which can be helpful in reducing the intensity of heat. |
