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Got a call from the Collector’s office to attend a meeting on tackling the rising heat.

My first question was simple: Who are we trying to fool?

Because the truth is — much of what is being done in the name of “development” is actually creating more heat traps around us.

We sit in meetings, we discuss, we disperse… and then nothing changes.

Still, I felt it’s important to put this down clearly.

🌡️ Why is it getting hotter in places like Kollam?
Not just climate change — but how we are planning and governing our spaces:

🚦 Poorly timed traffic signals → vehicles idling, generating heat
🏗️ Quarrying & hill cutting → loss of natural cooling systems
🗑️ Open dumping & landfill fires → heat zones + toxic emissions
🏙️ Concrete-heavy construction → traps heat, blocks airflow
🌳 Tree cutting without replantation → loss of shade
💧 Filling up ponds & wetlands → destroying natural heat sinks

This is not accidental. This is administrative heat creation.

⚠️ The result?

Rising temperatures
Increased health risks
Higher electricity consumption
A steadily degrading environment

✅ What can actually be done (starting now)?

Smart, synchronized traffic systems
Strict control on quarrying in sensitive zones
Scientific waste management (no more burning dumps)
Cool roofs & climate-sensitive building rules
Aggressive urban greening (not token planting)
Restoration of every pond, canal, and wetland
Push for solar and energy-efficient infrastructure

🔥 This is not a climate debate anymore. It’s a governance issue.

If we are serious, solutions exist.
If we are not, let’s at least stop pretending.

Would like to hear thoughts from others working on the ground.
Because this cannot be solved in meeting rooms alone.

Just checking facts. How far are we from reality....

One way to frame this inequality is to ask: who caused the harm, who is exposed, and who has the resources to adapt? Under this view, equality is not about treating everyone the same; it is about protecting based on need.

Climate justice: Unequal heat exposes India’s deep social divide Heat inequality: Climate change in India is worsening social divides, with poor and informal workers facing extreme heat, floods and loss of livelihoods. Weak policies, funding gaps and flawed planning leave vulnerable groups bearing the heaviest burden