Corporation chalks out measures to tackle global warming

With the city witnessing a significant rise in temperature over the past century due to global warming, Chennai Corporation has chalked out a slew of measures to restrict the activities that are affecting the environment.

"To combat global warming, to start with, at least one lakh trees will be planted each year", Chennai Corporation mayor M Subramaniam said. Data collected by Regional Meteorological Office here has revealed that from 1906 to 2008 there was a significant rise in the average temperature in the city during summer.

According to deputy director general of meterology R V Sharma, the centre analysed weather data in the months of March, April, May and June. The temperature variation chart showed an increase of 1.8 degree celsius in the mean temperature in March -meaning that the average temperature of 32.2 degree celsius in March 1906 had risen to 34 degrees celsius now.

Elaborating the new measures, Corporation commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said that for energy saving process it was planned to install dimmers using GSM technology and energy efficient torroidal transformers for controlling the street lights in bus route roads.

From 11 pm to 5 am street lights will work in dimmer mode resulting in direct energy saving of more than 25 per cent".