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| The New Challenge of Urban Development: Green and Human Infrastructure | | | Dr. Vijay Garg
Reports from the ICMR and World Health Organization are warning that excessive heat and constant incomplete sleep destroy the ability of the human body to regulate temperature within. When a person’s sleep is not complete for several days in a row, the stress-inducing body hormone (cortisol) begins to increase uncontrollably.
As the mercury crosses 45 degrees Celsius in Jeth’s scorching double, a scary and bitter truth lurking behind the lavish buildings of metropolitan cities begins to come out. When a common working man returns home in the evening after facing days of hard work and scorching sun, he expects to be relaxed for a few moments. But in the era of modernity and unchecked development, our metropolitan living places have become less and 100% more. The charms of infrastructure, the growing influence of the Urban Heat Island neighborhood, the severe water crisis and its onerous power cuts have turned human life into a nightmare. The crisis is no longer limited to physical exhaustion or sweating, but it’s seriously making us physically and mentally ill. It is believed that after sunset the earth cools and nights are calming. But in our metropolis, this natural cycle has completely collapsed, largely due to the influence of .Urban Heat Island. When the trees, ponds and open lands in a city are ruthlessly eradicated to make way for asphalt roads, concrete multi-story buildings, and glass shrouded towers, they soak up the scorching heat of the sun all day long. At night, when the temperature should be lower, these concrete structures begin to release that absorbed heat back into the atmosphere. Scientific studies from the Centre for Science and Environment confirm that nighttime temperatures in metropolitan areas are being recorded by 5 to 7 degrees Celsius higher than those in rural or open areas. This simply means that nights in the metro are now getting heavier and more humid than days.
In the heat of this fierce night, when a power cut or blackout hits, the citizenry is completely helpless. Inverters suffocate in a few hours, water motors go silent and the stench of air is gone. Reports from the ICMR and World Health Organization are warning that excessive heat and constant incomplete sleep destroy the ability of the human body to regulate temperature within. When a person’s sleep is not complete for several days in a row, the stress-inducing body hormone (cortisol) begins to increase uncontrollably. That’s why people are falling victim to the 360-pound, or serious and sudden emerging diseases. Emergency OPD data from government hospitals in large cities show that the months of May-June are seeing an increase of more than one third in cases of heat stroke, sudden rise in blood pressure, brain strokes, severe dehydration and kidney failure. When the lack of water and worry about going to office or work without sleeping the next day are combined, a person is completely broken inside.
The most frightening and silent aspect of the crisis is a growing army of mentally ill people in metropolitan areas. The heat and power crisis is often what we think of as just a physical or administrative problem, but it’s directly attacking our mental soundness. According to a study published in the Lancet Planetary Health Report, an increase of one degree Celsius per temperature leads to more than two percent increases in cases of mental health problems and depression. Persistent insomnia and physical distress are causing people to suffer from severe irritability, nervousness and chronic fatigue syndrome. The extreme heat drains her mental endurance. The domestic violence in the metropolitan areas, the violent incidents of 30-year olds on the streets and the escalating confrontation between employees in offices has a very large hand to play. Insomnia and heat-induced mental stress are emerging as the leading causes in one out of five patients who come to OPD these days, according to psychiatrists.
This situation is a mirror of our policy failures. During the summer days, there is a riot in the suburbs and residential societies of metropolitan areas. Transformer blowing and cable burns are common because of the overload on the power infrastructure. Everyone is forced to run AC and coolers for their lives, but our distribution grid isn’t able to handle the demand. In such a case, the rich class finds some relief with heavy-duty diesel generators that increase pollution themselves and heat up the air, but middle and lower-class people are forced to cook like ‘tandoor” in small rooms of concrete. Long lines behind water tankers and squabbles over water are evidence that the urban fabric has peaked.
If we are to stop our cities from becoming a home for the sick, new and bold steps must be taken away from conventional thinking. The administration should be running sprinkler trucks continuously on the streets of residential complexes and colonies at night instead of during the day. This can directly reduce the effect of .Urban Heat Island . This will cool the heat absorbed by asphalt and concrete, providing some relief from night time temperature drops.
At the same time, urban planning must promote white roofing and strengthen the power distribution system by connecting it to a grid of solar energy so that there is no chance of grid failure. Electricity, water and cool air are no longer a luxury but part of the fundamental right to live in dignity. In this era of climate change, cities” infrastructure must be made environmentally friendly and humane.
Dr. Vijay Garg Retired Principal Malout Punjab |
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