Green cover keeps zoo cooler by 10C in oppressive heat | Lucknow News - Times of India

Source: The Times of India

Lucknow: Unlike other parts of the city where temperatures felt like 43-46 degrees Celsius, atmospheric temperature recorded inside the zoo ranged between 32-41 degrees on Tuesday. Thanks to the dense cover of over 5,000 trees, including Parijat, mango, sandalwood and gulmohar. The variation in temperatures inside the zoo and other parts of the city is an example of the difference made by trees.

The Nawab Wajid Ali Shah zoological park authorities have installed 15 thermometers to measure temperatures inside different parts of the zoo.

The readings were taken at 4.30pm in which the owl house turned out to be the coolest place in the zoo with mercury reading at 32 degrees Celsius and highest at 41 degrees Celsius in an enclosure of a rescued tiger Chhedilal. Zoo director Aditi Sharma said main reason for low temperature near the owl house was the green cover and the position of a boating pond nearby.

"While existence of a water body near the enclosure helped keeping the area cool, another reason was that the owl house does not get direct sunlight. The coolers and exhausts too help keep a check on mercury levels," said Sharma.

She added that the area near Chhedilal's enclosure was quite open and had a less dense canopy of trees which could be a possible reason in recording an increased temperature.

The temperature in snake house (Block - C) and (Block - A) turned out to be 33.2 degrees Celsius and 36.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.