Bangalore in 2020 !

B'lore in 2020: 40 degrees and rising

It would have surprised me if it had been otherwise. Of course, the blame is being laid fair and square at the IT/BPO industry. Do they deserve it?

Unfortunately, I think they do. This industry which has been the positive result of our tough education system has however lacked in it's social role. The people at the helm lack the vision and foresight. Of course, they have been successful in building business, but the absence of perspective on the societal role is a major flaw.

Most of the buildings that house these units are monstrosities in glass, and more are coming up. A fully glass exteriors create a perfect green house effect inside. It was probably thought , that this would let light inside, but the cubicle-design effectively negates it and the buildings require artificial lighting in every nook and cranny. The heat that enter get trapped inside, (green-house effect, ofcourse) and require AC for the inmates to survive! The AC's are conviniently placed outside and increase the outside temperature.

The BPO's have specially failed in the transport section. Small vans and cars to transport workforce is probably the stupidest thing one can think of. The neccesity to draw up such a plan should have been warning enough.

Many industries have been set up, that are far more, dangerous to the common man. They have been done with a certain plan and vision. Leave aside the public sectors, for they had, full committees and governments planning for them. Take for example a Jamshedji. Building an entire township to house a steel plant. Now that takes time and patience. But it will stand the test of time.

Bangalore has moved from a AC-ed city to the hottest. The place is still the same. Geography placed it high on a plateau and blessed it with a climate, radically different from it's neighbhors. Even the IT/BPO sector was attracted to Bangalore, primarily because of this. But instead working with the climate, it has chosen to shut it out. 2020, is just 13 years down. At 40 degrees, imagine the amount of electricity, that will be required to keep the AC's and lights on (without which, these offices can just not be used). Of course, the big powers will move-in generators, UPs, inverters...which will contribute to operational costs and more importantly, the temperature.

The only way, from this vicious circle, is to throw open the windows. Literally. Bangalore is still user-friendly for most of the year. Yet. The software sector will manage any rise in temperature. AC-ing the house, car and office. But they owe it to the society. The ones that help make their life easier, but is already thirsting for shade, today, in 2007.