Hill Station Heatwave: Ooty, Yercaud Temperatures Rise Amidst Climate Change Concerns

The way the weather’s been hotting up in the hills over the past couple of months, you would think you were still down in the plains. Ooty touched 27.6°C this May, crossing seasonal averages. Yercaud hit 33°C in March, climbing even higher in May.

Environmentalists say the rising heat season after season, caused by global warming, erratic rainfall and a massive tourist influx are mounting pressure on hill stations’ fragile ecosystems.

According to aqi.in, a global air quality monitoring platform that provides real-time data on ambient air pollution, over the past 16 year, Ooty’s temperature has changed by +20.6%, and the area has “experienced notable climate changes”. “The current climate change severity in Ooty is very high, with a 34.3% worsening in the climate score compared to the past 16 years”, which suggests “deteriorating conditions, with increasing negative impacts on weather patterns and environmental conditions”.

“Every year marks at least 0.1°C to 0.5°C rise in temperature, especially in equatorial regions, and we are just 8°C away from the equator,” says V Geethalakshmi, former vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. “Rising temperatures can alter the seasonal conditions required for many plant and animal species to survive. Some flora and fauna require low temperatures. Excess heat can affect their survival. It will also aggravate pest and disease cycles.”

Geethalakshmi adds that insects whose life cycle from egg to adult earlier took about 10 days could now mature faster because of warmer temperatures. “Pests that previously had 12 breeding cycles in a year could now have 15 cycles, affecting vegetation and agriculture,” she says.

In Kodaikanal, long traffic snarls have become common. Things are getting so bad that Dindigul collector S Saravanan held two meetings this summer and issued an advisory to the public to cut down vehicle use.
Vehicular emissions in hill towns create a different kind of pollution, says environmental engineer Prabhakaran Veeraarasu of Poovulagin Nanbargal. “Cold air in hill stations is denser, while vehicular emissions are lighter. This creates a trapping effect, leading to smog formation. People who come seeking fresh air end up inhaling polluted air,” he says.

While the hill stations have introduced the concept of an e-pass to regulate the inflow of vehicles, it’s unchecked, say environmentalists. Kodaikanal Taxi Association secretary Ganeshan P says a recently introduced QR code-based ticketing system for tourist spots has worsened congestion and pollution near attractions such as Pillar Rocks, Guna Caves, Pine Forest and Moer Point. “Earlier, tickets were issued at counters near each attraction, which made the traffic manageable. But now ticket verification happens near the Green Valley View check post, and each vehicle takes 15 minutes to clear it. Vehicles pile up for nearly 5km,” he says, adding that taxi operators staged a protest on May 1 demanding changes to the system.

Conservationist S Bharathidasan, founder of Coimbatore-based NGO Arulagam, suggests large-scale carpooling systems beginning at foothill towns and better public transport infrastructure. “Efficient and comfortable public transport, including CNG, LNG and electric buses, should be introduced. Tourists prefer private vehicles because they can stop at scenic spots along the way. Public transport should offer similar flexibility,” he says. “The govt ought to consider incentives such as discounted hotel tariffs or attraction tickets for tourists using public transport.”

Another problem is that there are hardly any public amenities such as toilets and drinking water facilities at several tourist locations, says Ganeshan. “You can see the way it is damaging the surroundings.” At Kodaikanal, reports show that about 25 tonnes of waste is generated every day, with most of it generated by the hospitality units, of which only a few are registered.

Weather blogger R Pradeep John says the lack of summer rainfall in several hill stations has worsened the heat this year. “Usually, places such as Kodaikanal receive a good amount of summer rain. But till the end of April, there was little rainfall except in areas such as Valparai and Kanyakumari.”

Ecologically sensitive hill regions such as Kodaikanal should be formally protected and development activities regulated, says Prabhakaran. “Kodaikanal is fragile and landslide-prone. In some places, even 9cm of rainfall in a single day can trigger landslides. More buildings and construction activities are adding to the degradation.”
Ooty has hit a saturation state, says M Yuvaraj, regional manager of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. “The govt needs to explore more areas in Kotagiri or Gudalur, which are similar to Ooty to divert crowds from here. In addition to carbon emissions, other problems such as water scarcity and waste management are also becoming a hazard. To address all these, a decentralised concept of tourism is a must.”