Mumbai: 'October heat' blamed on depleting green cover

Writing off the hot weather as another instance of 'October heat' is the wrong approach to take, environmentalists across the city have said, urging the government and civic administration to instead tackle the rising urban heat in the city.

Activists say the real feel temperatures for October have been rising steadily. "Mumbai is losing its tree cover substantially. Trees on both sides of the roads help manage temperatures. There can be no doubt that the urban heat effect is down to indiscriminate deforestation," said Khar-based activist Zoru Bhatena, who is fighting a court battle against the hacking of trees.

"There are multiple factors responsible for 'urban heat island effect', most significant of these being using material like concrete with an emissivity of nearly 0.85. Using these on building facades, terraces, roads and parking lots aggravates heat island conditions," said Roshni Udyavar Yehuda, vice-president, sustainability, ICMQ India Certification.

"Using grass pavers for parking, shaded or creeper-covered pergolas over parking areas, and using cool green roofs can drastically improve situations," Yehuda said.

The activists advised the civic body to put in more thought while deciding how to go about beautifying the city. "At several places, BMC is planting bottle palms and other trees with zero biological value and zero shade. The BMC should utilise dividers along roads for proper plantation. It's also not necessary to plan trees with huge canopies or with deep roots. There are many trees that can be planted along Mumbai's roads at several locations," said Biju Augustine, who has been carrying out plantation in Mumbai for over a decade.