In an exclusive interview with Oneindia, Rajanikanth Poolla, a renowned weather blogger and independent weather enthusiast, shares his insights on Telangana’s groundbreaking initiatives under CM Revanth Reddy’s leadership. From the Hydra Project reviving lakes and bringing back rare migratory birds to sustainable urban planning and pollution control measures, Poolla delves into how these efforts are shaping a climate-resilient future for the state. Discover how Telangana is setting a benchmark for other Indian states in addressing climate challenges through innovation and vision.
#ClimateResilience #TelanganaGreenRevolution #RevanthReddyLeadership #EcoFriendlyTelangana #SustainableFuture
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#ClimateResilience #TelanganaGreenRevolution #RevanthReddyLeadership #EcoFriendlyTelangana #SustainableFuture
~HT.178~GR.124~PR.282~ED.100~
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NewsTranscript
00:00So, hello and welcome to this special show on nature, climate and governance.
00:05And as the saying goes, nature can suffice our need, but not our greed.
00:09Now, Telangana is undergoing a green revolution led by Chief Minister Revath Reddy, whose
00:15climate-focused policies are redefining sustainability in the state.
00:19Now, from restoring 75 lakes to pioneering EV transitions, afforestation and renewable
00:26energy projects, his administration is tackling climate change head-on.
00:30Now, to discuss this very important topic of nature preservation, climate and governance,
00:37we are being joined by Mr. Rajjikanth Pula, he is a weather blogger and an independent
00:43weather enthusiast.
00:44Welcome to the show, Mr. Pula.
00:47Thank you, Divya.
00:48Okay, so now, without much ado, we'll straight off jump into, you know, getting a better
00:54understanding into the space.
00:56Now, Telangana's Hydra project has rejuvenated the lakes and also brought back migratory
01:02birds like the red-breasted flycatcher.
01:04Now, what do you think is the role of such ecological restoration initiatives?
01:10What role do they play in improving the climate resilience?
01:13Yes, so Divya, when we talk about climate resilience, so we must also talk about climate
01:20change a bit here.
01:23So, climate change is a hot topic globally, nowadays, if you see, there's a global warming
01:29trend that we are seeing in the last 100 years due to anthropogenic reasons.
01:35So this is affecting the weather systems across the globe and that is creating intense episodes
01:44of rainfall confined to a particular location especially.
01:48So this, the mitigation and preparing for these challenges is very much important nowadays,
01:56especially in the urban landscape because we have an unplanned urban infrastructure
02:02right now in many of our cities.
02:04So we do need to take measures to cater to this.
02:09One of those measures that, you know, the government is currently taking is in terms
02:13of Hydra.
02:16The main point they have is restoration of lakes and water bodies in the city, which
02:25is a welcome move but because, you know, the lakes act as a sink for the excessive water.
02:36So if there is a situation of excessive rainfall, extreme rainfall in the city, then the water
02:42has to go to some place instead of inundating the areas, low-lying areas and going into
02:49people's houses.
02:51So they need to be diverted into water bodies.
02:55So lakes at each location, right, what are the natural lakes that are already there,
03:01they need to be preserved, they need to be regenerated because they can attract the flood
03:07water and they can store the flood water properly.
03:12While we look at that aspect, we should also look at how we can divert the excessive water,
03:21the runoff water into the lake, right.
03:24So even though we distort the lake area or the area around the lake, but in case of a
03:30flood, the excessive runoff water has to be diverted into the lake somehow.
03:36So if the surroundings around the lake are not in such a way that, you know, the inclination
03:42of the ground is not in such a way that water is diverted into the lake, it can still inundate
03:47the houses.
03:50So we must also ensure that the surrounding area, the inclination of the land in the surrounding
03:57area should be diverted towards the lake.
04:01This is one thing.
04:03And second thing is lakes also work as a groundwater recharge.
04:08Lots of people are getting migrated into the urban areas.
04:12So they need water, they need sustenance, they need food.
04:15So groundwater plays a very important role today in order to settle the water needs of
04:22the growing population.
04:24And people have to go around 400 to 500 feet depth in the ground to get groundwater.
04:31So in such a rate, the groundwater is depleting.
04:35If we look at the last year's statistics, the Hyderabad groundwater is depleted by around
04:407 to 8 meters, which is the highest since many years.
04:45So recharging of the groundwater is very essential.
04:49Unless we take steps at this stage, I think it will be too late for us to, you know, for
04:55the sustainability of the city.
04:57Okay.
04:58Could you also tell us what do you think now what is being done in Telangana?
05:02What do you think similar stuff can also be done in other states and we can, you know,
05:07take inspiration from this approach?
05:10Exactly.
05:11I think wherever, you know, especially wherever the megacities are located, they need to take
05:19urgent steps in order to make them sustainable for the people.
05:25And in the view of the climate change as well, if we see the extreme events are likely to
05:31occur very frequently in the future.
05:35So which includes not only heavy rainfall, it includes heat waves, it includes cold waves.
05:44So all these are going to be affected by the climate change.
05:48So how do we make our urban spaces resilient to this kind of effects?
05:54We need to look into it more deeper right now.
05:59And it is time to think about it.
06:01Absolutely.
06:02And I think be ready for it because in the last few years, you'll have to correct me
06:07if I'm right there or wrong.
06:10Now, last few years, there has been a big weather change all across even in India.
06:15So here in Delhi, I see the winters are not as cold as they used to be.
06:21They do not come at the time at which they used to come a couple of years back.
06:24The timings have changed, the intensity has changed.
06:29So I think what you're trying to suggest is that we have to be prepared for the changes
06:32that will be coming, you know, down the years.
06:36Exactly.
06:37Exactly.
06:38Because if we see the research in the climate change that is happening right now, the outcome
06:43of that research is that scientists are suggesting that there will be erratic weather patterns
06:50in future.
06:51So the climate that we know as of today, it is going to change, right?
06:56And if we look at the monsoons, India is mostly dependent on monsoon systems and climate change
07:05is going to make the monsoon very erratic.
07:09And what we are also seeing in the last decade, if we see the distribution of rainfall across
07:14India is very uneven.
07:17Sometimes at some locations there are floods, in some locations there is a drought.
07:23And there are very localized events as well.
07:26If you see in this year, I think in Rameshwaram, that is one place in Tamil Nadu where it received
07:34very extreme rainfall.
07:37And we are seeing depressions right into December as well.
07:40So right now a depression is going on in Bay of Bengal.
07:43So December is not usually the time that we get these systems in Bay of Bengal.
07:50So these are all things, you know, the weather is changing.
07:55And not only the monsoons, it's going to affect the summer months and winter months as well
08:02because all seasons.
08:03So I think it's high time that all the states across India and across the world also that
08:13everybody does take kind of charge and start planning for all of what is already visible
08:19even currently.
08:20Okay, so now let's talk about now Hyderabad has been emerging as a leader in the public
08:26transport electrification also and in reducing urban pollution through battery operated vehicles
08:33and pedestrian friendly zones.
08:35Now how significant do you think is this shift for combating climate change?
08:41Absolutely, because most of our transportation, if we see 75% of the global carbon emissions
08:48is due to transportation.
08:51So it may also include aviation as well.
08:53But the significant part is also from road transportation, ground transportation.
08:58So and the fuel that we are using, that is the cause of this CO2 emissions.
09:03We are using fossil fuels from coal, petroleum, natural gas and all which are fossil fuels
09:12and they emit a lot of carbon dioxide.
09:15The only alternative that as of now as per the technology that we have is shifting to
09:21electrical.
09:23And this is happening across the globe, not only in India, in the US, I had a recent visit
09:29to the US.
09:30And so there is a large shift into electrical vehicles.
09:36So this definitely is necessary.
09:39At the same time, there is a downside of electrical vehicles as well.
09:44Because in the recent research, what they found is that the carbon footprint of manufacturing
09:50an electrical vehicle is much more than that of a conventional vehicle.
09:58Because electrical vehicles use, as you said, batteries, which are primarily made up of
10:04lithium ion.
10:07So lithium is again an element which should be mined from the ground.
10:13So it is a product of mining.
10:17And during mining, it can cause a high amount of pollution into the surrounding atmosphere.
10:25So this is what they have found.
10:28And surrounding lakes and ecosystems all can get contaminated and polluted when we are
10:33mining lithium.
10:34But right now, the best technology that we have to avoid fossil fuel is definitely electricity.
10:42But when we are manufacturing and using electric vehicles on a larger scale, I think these
10:48points should also be kept in mind.
10:51Absolutely.
10:52Okay.
10:53So now let's talk about Telangana's afforestation drives now.
10:57And you know, all these sustainable housing projects that have been prepared by Hyderabad
11:01to withstand the extreme weather events, like how you spoke about the heat waves and the
11:06urban flooding.
11:07Now, do you think states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala too can benefit if they adopt the Revanth Reddy
11:12approach to climate?
11:14If I can call it that?
11:16Yeah, definitely.
11:18I think this is high time that any state should think about climate at this stage.
11:25And they should integrate the mitigation into their policy.
11:31Because till now, we are not talking that much about climate, even in our election campaigns,
11:36it is not the primary issue.
11:38So it has to be in the future.
11:43So definitely, they need to adopt any best practices that they see.
11:51And when you talk about afforestation, one more point that I would say is that definitely
11:56afforestation is needed.
11:59Because if you see most of our urban landscape, because of infrastructure needs, we are destroying
12:06bigger trees.
12:09And then they are not translocated into proper places.
12:14There is a guideline that they need to be translocated as well.
12:18That is not happening on the ground.
12:19And you are not sure whether it's happening in India for sure or not.
12:23And you do see videos of such things happening in a couple of locations abroad.
12:29And that is extremely fascinating.
12:32In the urban spaces, the kind of vegetation that we see right now, the bigger trees are
12:37getting replaced with smaller ones.
12:40So even the parks or in the green spaces, what we see as a smaller ornamental plants
12:46or the big trees are not visible that much.
12:50So the ones that give us more shade, etc.
12:55Exactly.
12:56Absolutely.
12:57Right.
12:58Exactly.
12:59The kind of environmental benefit that we get out of a bigger tree is far more compared
13:04with the smaller ornamental plants.
13:07Right now, there is also a good practice that people are growing terrace gardens.
13:13That is also good practice.
13:15But even in a terrace garden, you cannot grow bigger trees.
13:20So there is a need to find sufficient space around or in or around the city where we can
13:29plant bigger trees.
13:30And also they need to be maintained.
13:32So the enthusiasm in, you know, planting lakhs of trees dies out very quickly and they
13:39are not well maintained and they may also get died very easily.
13:46Okay.
13:47So now let's talk about solar energy.
13:49Now, Telangana's solar energy integration and the eco-tourism initiatives also reflect
13:55a balance between environmental sustainability and economic growth as well.
14:00So please share with us how vital are these initiatives, especially when India has committed
14:05to reducing the total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tons from now onwards till 2030?
14:13Absolutely.
14:16The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, right.
14:20So it has set up a target that the global temperature increase should be limited to
14:271.5 degree.
14:28But if we see 2023-2024, they have emerged as the warmest years on record, right, around
14:36the globe.
14:37And we have already surpassed that 1.5 degree mark.
14:40We are into the 2 degree mark right now.
14:43So that is why there is a greater pressure on the world, on the governments, that they
14:50need to take some action in order to reduce this climate change and, you know, and to
14:58take measures in that direction.
15:00So solar energy, if we talk about solar energy, India is a tropical country.
15:06India has a distinctive advantage in terms of solar power because we have a lot of sunshine
15:14most of the time in the year and that can be adapted to generate energy out of it.
15:21So that direction is a very welcome step and it has to be, I think, encouraged.
15:28Similarly, rooftop solar panels, I think that can be made kind of mandatory or incentives
15:36can be given so that people are encouraged to have their own power source from solar,
15:42rooftop solar panels.
15:44And then in urban spaces also, there are innovative ways in which we can adapt the solar energy,
15:51like say, for example, parking lots, instead of, you know, covering them with a concrete
15:55slab, cover them with a solar panel, right, and wherever certain shade is needed, instead
16:02of using asbestos, use a solar panel.
16:05So similarly, in every urban area, there are also cost implications and maintenance implications
16:13there as well.
16:14Absolutely.
16:15It has to be maintained as well.
16:16Any infrastructure that we develop needs proper maintenance, otherwise it's no use.
16:22Yeah.
16:23Even the metro stations, those can also be locations where we can tap solar energy.
16:31Because on the top of, yeah, on the top of the metro stations, we can install solar panels.
16:38Yeah.
16:39Absolutely.
16:40As a parting thought, would you like to share some pointers with us, probably what Telangana
16:45is doing, you know, better than the other states in India and what, you know, we can
16:49take note of?
16:50I think the very welcome step is the government taking the initiative to act on the aspect
17:00of climate change and to make cities resilient, that itself is the biggest initiative.
17:07And the step that positive step that anyone can take.
17:11And I wish that all the governments take cue from this and implement their own strategies.
17:18I think the solutions has to be local, because the problems faced by the local community
17:25is most important.
17:27And how from the ground level we can bring change is most important thing that we have
17:31to think about.
17:32So every state, they have their own challenges.
17:36They have to find their own solutions, I think.
17:39Absolutely.
17:40Thank you so much for joining us today and talking to us.
17:43That was Rajnikanth Pula, weather blogger and independent weather enthusiast.
17:48Thank you so much.
17:49Thank you, Samanthi.
17:50Yeah.