One cannot just blame pollution or global warming for the rising temperature levels in the Capital.
There have been series of errors that have put Delhi on the brink of an environmental crisis. One of the biggest contributors to the excessive heat quotient in Delhi especially at night is concretisation.
Mindless concretisation of ground and green belts and booming real estate has led to heat island effect which is burning the city as short-wave radiations emanate from concrete surfaces at night time.
Concretisation prevents ground water recharge thus depleting green cover. Tall buildings also block winds thereby reducing their cooling effect.
Excessive concretisation also leads to weakening of trees.
Sadly, there is no law in Delhi against concretisation.
Activists like Akash Vashishtha, Aditya Prasad and Padamavati Dwivedi have been fighting against concretisation in various forms – be it ground concretisation or concretisation around trees.
Not only Delhi, NCR is also slowly turning into a maze of concrete. Despite the directives of the National Green Tribunal, civic agencies continue to allow concretisation in green belts. Massive green cover is destroyed in the name of development.
Booming real estate and demand for housing units is leading to change of land use and shrinkage of natural conservation zones such as forests, water bodies, wastelands, sanctuaries, groundwater rechargeable areas, Aravallis and wetlands in the National Capital Region including Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
