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The felling of 812 trees will only aggravate the ‘heat island’ effect. “We are cutting down hundreds of trees, which now act as moderators of climate, and putting a steel flyover. This will only increase the mean temperature in the vicinity,” says T.V. Ramachandra, of Energy and Wetlands Research Group, IISc.
Harini Nagendra, Professor of Sustainability at Azim Premji University, adds that the loss of tree cover will increase the asphalt temperature of the road by nearly 25 degrees while the air temperature may increase by anywhere between three and five degrees.
BDA has not carried out an environment impact study of the steel flyover, as it has been arguing that the project is legally exempted from an Environment Impact Assessment Study. Citizens’ groups are preparing to take the fight to the National Green Tribunal.