Give Bhubaneswar the space to breathe or there will be no space for us to breathe: this was my thought in the last couple of years when temperature begins to rise around the end of February, which is rather a typical spring season. However, in reality, February is the new April and April is the new June, though sadly, May is not July, the arrival of monsoon. Which means a long summer is forced on the denizens of the smart city.
Recently, Bhubaneswar’s temperature shot up to 43.2℃ which only reminds us of our selfish act. Bhubaneswar became Asia's sixth hottest city. But don't forget that on April 1, 2021, Bhubaneswar was the world's hottest city with 44.2℃ that was highest on that day worldwide. Well, touching 40℃ in April is no more surprising for the city; rather it is a new normal. But who cares, when wise people say we can afford AC products to cool ourselves!
April seems to be cruel, if we look at the high recorded day temperature pattern since the eighties. On April 11, 1985 Bhubaneswar recorded 45°C, then 43.9°C in 1991, 43.6°C in 2010, 45.8°C in 2016, 43.7°C in 2019, 44.2°C in 2021 and 43.3°C in 2022. These statistics of weathermen only caution that it's time to do something at policy level for the future, certainly not just by planting trees, rather saving those about to be felled.
During the latest heatwave records, the city of Bhubaneswar had to face very high temperatures, over 40°C over a period of three months. It seems the normal of summer in a few years will be over 50°C or near to it. As a matter of fact, there will be more tropical severe nights possibly in the next few decades or so, which will make the city’s climate similar to the climate of Dubai. This must be a public health priority as Bhubaneswar is likely to become unbearable for the most vulnerable people with 50 degrees Celsius in the shade.
At the moment, the city is far from being able to face it with disturbances in public transport, classrooms shutting down and lots of malfunctions. Perhaps sooner than later, there could be an advisory to review colours and materials used for buildings. Over time, the surface covered in asphalt will have to be reduced. In Bhubaneswar, the average temperature since the recorded era has increased by 3-5 degrees so far and this figure may vary within the city itself. A study between smart Janpath and Patel Marg, that’s a concrete jungle versus a green canopy has shown a result of 5-7 degrees temperature variation. Bhubaneswar is not alone experiencing this sizzling heat, rather it is an all-Odisha phenomenon with more or less variations. This isn't normal, this is extreme, this is dangerous to life, this is the result of man-made climate change that our cities and towns are facing in their journey of being a world class city though we are actually making them urban deserts.
Massive deforestation and vanishing of city sponges in and around Bhubaneswar region over the last 20 years have forced the man-made climate change, so severe that even Net Zero will not replace those green infrastructure lost inside the city as well as Chandaka forests, deforestation in MLA Colony at the heart of central Bhubaneswar, the damage into Daya west canal, the water channels drained around city and Gangabati river. Needless to say, what Bhubaneswar is suffering today is the result of all these reckless acts.
40℃ in Bhubaneswar in early April would have been 36℃ without human-caused climate change. The wise men will blame climate change. If there is a heat wave in February or any natural disaster it all falls under man-made climate change now. Ironically, our response to this extreme climate earth event is the same old theory of shutting down schools, putting some jalachhatras and issuing some advisories. But hardly do we deal with it scientifically in a planned way. Perhaps we need to do more than what we are doing right now because we can’t reverse back the concrete jungle into green fields as it’s expensive for the developers.
Time has come for Bhubaneswar to put in place cooling stations instead of Jalachhatra, as we are no longer having summer below 35℃. It's time to prepare ourselves for 50℃ in the near future as we can't leave the concrete jungle with an artificial environment. Perhaps Bhubaneswar needs more Ananda Banas in its neighbourhood than malls. Every year the inhabitants keep adding more ACs to get a respite from the heat than invest in planting trees. So, denizens open your thought process, invest in more green infrastructure. Otherwise, be ready for the worst as rising temperature would not just affect lifestyle but city's economy, productivity and quality of life.
(Dr Rout an urban planner. He can be reached on X @piyushrout)
