CLIMATE AND CITIES

A CASE STUDY OF PUNE CITY

Name: Shriya Harshe

Scholar no. 2019BPLN001
Subject: Climate Change and Resilient Planning
 Introduction to City

Pune district, Maharashtra

⬘ Pune city is located in state of Maharashtra, India. Maharashtra, India
⬘ Pune is among the top seven cities in India, and after Mumbai, it is the
second largest city in the state of Maharashtra.
⬘ Situated to the west of the Deccan plateau, the city stands at the
confluence of the rivers Mula and Mutha, which are tributaries of
river Bhima.
⬘ Geographically, the city is surrounded by hills on three sides, which
make the climatic conditions more pleasant.
⬘ Pune has a tropical wet and dry climate
⬘ Pune Municipal Corporation jurisdiction extends up to an area of
331.26 sq. km. housing about 7 million people with
⬘ Population density of Pune is 12,777 persons per sq.km
⬘ The city is a continuously growing center of IT, automotive
technology.
⬘ Over the years, the city has been acknowledged for being the
―Student Capital of India“

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 Physiography and Landform
⬘ Pune is situated near the western margin of the Deccan plateau.
It is approximately 50 Kms on the leeward side of the Sahyadri or
the Western Ghats.
⬘ The city is bounded by Thane district to the north-west, Raigad
district to the west, Satara district to the south, Solapur district
to the south-east and Ahmednagar district to the north and
north-east.
⬘ The area falls in Deccan Trap Basalts of Cretaceous-Eocene age.
The flow of rivers here is deeply incised into the basalt.
⬘ Pune city is surrounded by hills on the east and the south.
⬘ The southern boundary of the urban area is along the Sinhagad-
Katraj-Dive ghat range.
⬘ The Vetal hill (800 m) is the highest point within the city,
⬘ The Sinhagad fort (1400 m) is the highest point at the fringe
areas of the city.
Hydrology and Natural Drainage
⬘ The city is served by Mutha and Mula rivers.
⬘ These rivers finally drain into River Bhima, to the East of Pune.
⬘ Thus, hydrologically, Pune is located in North Bhima River Basin.
The rivers have dams located in the upstream of the watershed.
The Mutha River has the Khadakwasala dam that is located
⬘ approximately 10 km from the city. This is the major source of
water supply to Pune city and the cantonment areas.
⬘ The Mula River originates from the Mulshi dam that is located
approximately 50 km upstream of the region.
⬘ The general topography is conducive with its alternative ridges
and valleys which culminate in the formation of independent
watersheds, sloping towards Mutha and Mula rivers.
⬘ There are 23 watersheds in the Pune city limits, each of which
has one or more primary drains in the form of natural drains
discharging into the river.
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Demography

⬘ The population of Pune city as per the Census 2001 was 25.38 lakh. In the last 10 years, the city's population has grown almost 1.5 times than the
population recorded in 2001.
⬘ The city of Pune has developed as the counter magnet of Mumbai, the administrative capital of Maharashtra state and business capital of India.
Mumbai being overcrowded with high cost of living made Pune, a better place of living in the eyes of people.
⬘ The population growth rate in Pune city is very high and could be attributed to ample job opportunities, higher income leading to better lifestyle,
and other facilities available in the city, which encourages the influx of migratory population.
⬘ Pune as per the provisional figures of Census India, 2011; the population density is 12,777 persons/ Sq.Km. The average population density of Pune
city being on the lower side of the permissible limits of the UDPFI guidelines for metropolitan cities.

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Koppen Climate Classification of Pune

⬘ Pune has a tropical climate. In winter,

there is much less rainfall in Pune than
in summer.
⬘ According to Köppen and Geiger, this
climate is classified as Aw.
⬘ The average annual temperature in
Pune is 24.3 °C. The driest month is
January, with 1 mm | 0.0 inch of
rainfall.
⬘ With an average of 340 mm | 13.4
inch, the most precipitation falls in July.
⬘ The warmest month of the year is
April, with an average temperature of
28.6 °. January has the lowest average
temperature of the year. It is 21.7 °C.
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 Environmental Stresses in
Pune
1. Rise in Ambient Temperature due to loss of Green Cover
⬘ As per the landuse distribution of Pune city, the total area covered under hills and hill slopes is
1245 ha i.e. 5.10% of the total land.
⬘ The total area under reserved, forest and agriculture as per the landuse distribution of Pune city
is 2905 ha which is 11.91% of the total area is.
⬘ The Hills environment in the city is subject to intense pressure due to development and
encroachment. The mounting concrete structures due to these developments have resulted in
the loss of green covers on the hills which are a resultant of the increasing climate change.
⬘ As per the Marshal’s Slum Atlas Report, the unauthorized informal houses/ slums have come up
on privately-owned lands in hill top hill slope zone with a total of approximately 62,205
households.
⬘ Proper protection of the forest is imperative to preserve in order to check the threat of
encroachments, wood cutting, garbage dumping and protection from vegetation and soil erosion.
⬘ Trees are the lungs of Pune and if they disappear, there will not be adequate carbon
sequestration or absorption which lead to overall warming. This has an impact on seasonal cycles
as well as crops.
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 Environmental Stresses in
Pune
2. Urban Flooding

⬘ The region resembles a saucer with hills on its edges. Ambil Odha originates in these hills, which are a part of the Western Ghats., in the southern part of
Pune in Katraj area.
⬘ The stream flows from these hills towards the north, which is towards the centre of Pune. Many smaller streams join Ambil Odha before it meets the
Mutha river. All these water bodies are part of the Krishna River Basin.
⬘ Bunds were built on Ambil Odha after observing the natural depression in the landscape. The water from streams were diverted to lakes.
⬘ When the Katraj lake filled up, excess water went to the next lake in what is now the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park The flow was then diverted to lake near
Sarasbaug to arrest run-offs coming from Katraj hills.
⬘ The Sarasbaug lake does not exist anymore. The size of Katraj lake is reduced and the edges are sharp and deep. It gets filled up with silt soon.
⬘ Also, due to heavy mining and cutting of Katraj hills, flow channels of all first order and second order streams have either vanished, been diverted.
⬘ So when there is heavy rainfall, water flows down like a sheet, resulting in flash floods. 4
 Environmental Stresses in
Pune
2. Degradation in Air Quality
⬘ The transport, domestic and industrial sectors are the major contributors to
the rise in ambient air pollution levels. The prime source of PM10 (particulate
matter) is the increasing numbers of vehicles in the city.
⬘ The comparative analysis of PM10 of various cities denotes that Pune has the
second highest emissions with 38,400 tons/ year.
⬘ As per the recent study conducted by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board,
Pune has PM10 accounting to 99 µg/m3 which is more than the permissible
limit of 60 µg/m3, resulting in increasing incidences of respiratory disease.
⬘ As per the Environmental Status Report, Pune (2011-2012), it was also found
that level of PM10 is high in residential areas because of re-suspended road
blown dust particles during the movement of vehicles.

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 Environmental Shocks on Pune

• Due to climate change, there has been more intense rainfall

events and extreme weather events have also increased.
• In May, Pune city witnessed more than two intense rainfall
events. In May, Pune reported over 30 mm rainfall in just
three hours causing waterlogging in streets.
• the severity of cold waves are increasing than last decade.
• Duration of cold wave is reducing due to climate change. Every
New Year is hotter than colder.
• All extreme weather events are increasing for rain, heat wave and
cold wave.

• Maharashtra on Saturday witnessed cold wave conditions with many cities reporting a
record lowest minimum temperature for February.
• Pune reported the second lowest temperature at 5.1 degrees Celsius.
THANK YOU!