Urbanization’s Toll: Shrinking lakes, depleting groundwater and rising heat

Multiple reports suggest that the lakes in the city have been shrinking each day, thanks to rapid urbanization and encroachments.

Hyderabad: Assessing the city’s growing hot weather conditions, water conservationist Kalpana Ramesh quotes Newton’s third law of motion.

She says, “of course, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. We erased surface water bodies and now we are bearing the consequences.”

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Multiple reports suggest that the lakes in the city have been shrinking each day, thanks to rapid urbanization and encroachments.

Although authorities are making efforts to mitigate this, the damage seems to be already done. “Every water body has a microclimate around it. If we had more of these lakes and ponds, it would have definitely made its surroundings cooler. But now it’s all buildings, which is also one of the factors that we are feeling hotter this summer,” she explains.

Along with surface water bodies, the groundwater levels in the city are also depleting. While this might not be a major contributor to the rise in temperatures, it helps with the moisture in the ground.

Tree Cover:

Giving the example of her colony and others where there are a significant number of trees, Kalpana adds that having more trees would also decrease the apparent temperature. One tends to feel cooler near trees as they provide shade, block direct sunlight, and reduce the heat absorbed by our bodies and the surrounding environment.

“We have so many rooftops in our city, how many of them grow plants there? Having plants on terraces, or vertical planters, is one of the best ways to keep our buildings cool,” she adds.