Bengaluru is getting hotter under the feet

Bengalureans are paying the price for the city's loss of tree cover this summer.

It's not just the heat beating down on them from above which is causing them discomfort but also rising surface temperatures on roads which no longer have trees to protect them from the hot rays of the sun.

There has been a phenomenal increase in surface temperatures over the last two years on roads where trees have been chopped , says a study conducted by the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), which found a nearly 24 degree rise in surface temperature on the tree-less stretch of Kamakya Road in Banashankari 3rd stage as against a mere 4 degree rise on the stretch that still has trees left.

In fact at some point of time the surface temperature rose as high as 60 degrees on the tree-less portion of the road.

There is also more pollution on roads where trees have been cut. The study recorded suspended particulate matter (SPM) content of 400 micrograms per cubic meter of air on Bannerghatta Road, in Jeevanbhima Nagar, Hennur Ring Road, Assaye Road and Sarjapur Road as against the normal 150 micrograms per cubic meter. So bad is the pollution that the air sampler filter placed on Bellary Road which has few trees to boast of, turned black from it.

The researchers squarely blame the corporation for not doing enough to restore the city's tree cover, for the rising surface temperature and pollution.

“After cutting the trees on the streets, the replanting is mostly done on the outskirts. And the trees that are planted in the city have smaller canopies and a lesser impact on temperature and pollution,” regrets Dr Harini Nagendra, urban ecology coordinator, ATREE, which conducted the study.