The report of the TN State Planning Commission shows that the increase in the settled area for 30 years increases heat stress.
An analysis by the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission (SPC) reveals that the increasing temperatures of urban expansion, forest and land use puts people, ecosystems and infrastructure at increasing risk.
“Urban growth and thermal stress: Decadal Evaluation of Local Area and Climate Interactions in Tamil Nadu” is built on Tamil Nadu Heat Reduction Strategy (2024) and offers three -year data, satellite images, elevation models and air conditioning reanali for the first time.
The work report presented to Prime Minister MK Stalin on Monday confirms that many urban residents have felt for a long time – cities are getting warmer, faster.
Chennai (with 74% built -in area as of 2015), blocks such as Coimbatore and Tirupur, have seen an important urban expansion directly associated with increased black surface temperatures. These changes not only worsens the thermal disorder, but also worsen stretching infrastructure and energy systems.
94 out of the analyzed 389 blocks are experiencing severe long -term increases at temperature, 64 are currently experiencing excessive heat stress. In a significant way, 25 blocks, including the parts of Chennai, Karur and Ramanathapuram, enter both categories and make them the most vulnerable hot spots in Tamil Nadu.
Traditionally, cool high altitude regions such as Kodaikanal, Udhagamanalam and Jertaud are no longer climatic shelters.
These regions have recorded a significant heating up to 0.7 ° C in Kodaikanal and Tiruttani up to 1.2 ° C due to forest deterioration and tourism -based development. It increases urgent concerns about the loss of biological diversity and loss of habitat on the seventeen, rugged terrain of high temperature intensified blocks.
Under future climate scenarios (RCP 4.5 and 8.5), Tamil Nadu may experience annual temperature increases by 0.9 ° C to 2.7 ° C by 2050.
The universal thermal comfort index for Tamil Nadu now records “strong heat stress ında in multiple regions, not only increasing temperatures, but also indicates the direct impact of heat on human health and daily life.
According to the SPC report, over 3,025 km2. According to Tamil Nadu State Land Use Research Board (TNSLURB), forest cover has been lost in the last twenty years. These losses change the surface albedo, reduce evaporation and accelerate the effect of urban heat island. Meanwhile, the lands, once cultivated, were built on Nadas, which was further disrupting the climate bumper regions of the state, or left nadasa.
In 1985, blocks such as Peri-Kental Regions with very few settled zones, such as Poonamallee and Kundratohur have rapidly urbanized and now record high heat densities. The coastal areas, which are already vulnerable to sea -level rise and cyclonic activity, are exposed to overheral heat and require integrated adaptation planning.
Effective Strategies
In order to effectively combat the increasing heat levels in Tamil Nadu, the report urgently requires climate -sensitive planning in urban, urban and rugged regions.
Integly green infrastructure such as parks, green roofs and permeable surfaces into urban planning can reduce the effect of urban heat island, while the updated building codes must make passive cooling properties, green lid and rainwater harvesting.
In the report, in the urban and hill areas, the suitable map of the land, arranged construction and afforestation, is necessary to prevent ecological deterioration.
The study suggests that it is based on a real -time indicator panel that combines satellite and space data, especially in rural and data scarce areas, to be buried in planning frames such as main plans and smart city suggestions to give priority to vulnerable blocks.
Published – 08 July 2025 12:45
