Why Koregaon Park, Pune’s Greenest Area, is Now Among the Warmest
Suresh Talera, a long-time resident of Koregaon Park (KP), reminisces about the cooler days when driving from his home to Deccan felt like entering a different climate zone. Now, he can barely notice the difference. The mercury has been steadily rising in KP over the years.
“Earlier, we needed air-conditioning only in summer. Now, it is for seven months a year,” says Talera, the owner of Hotel Sunderban, a charming address nestled in the tranquility of a tree-covered lane adjoining the Osho International Meditation Resort.
In the rest of Pune, unbridled developmental activity, pollution, and congestion are contributing to rising temperatures. KP, with its leafy, expansive, and quietly old-world bungalows and lanes, should have been different. Yet, on a recent Tuesday morning, when Shivajinagar logged a temperature of 24.9 degrees Celsius and Chinchwad was at 25.8 degrees Celsius, KP topped the chart at 27.1 degrees Celsius. The daytime temperature of 38 degrees Celsius on the same day was among the warmest in the city.
“I don’t know why it is so hot in KP. Honestly, I’m confused,” says Talera. An expert from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) explains that microclimates are evident in expanding cities like Pune. The urban heat island effect is a phenomenon where concrete spaces absorb and retain heat during the day and become high-temperature hotspots. During the night, the heat cannot escape due to the concrete construction, which helps increase the minimum temperature.
The definition of KP has expanded to include the surrounding areas that are witnessing a real estate boom in ultra-luxury commercial and residential properties. KP’s bustling social scene, elite atmosphere, and proximity to the airport, railway station, and other hubs have attracted some of the country’s biggest realtors, making it a prized stretch on the city’s map. This development reflects in the changing temperature as well.
Instruments to measure temperatures and other climatic conditions in KP were installed four or five years ago. “The three weather stations of Lohegaon, Magarpatta, and KP are in more urbanised settings. In comparison, the Central Agrometeorological Observatory (CAgMo) of Shivajinagar is located amid agricultural fields on the campus of the College of Agriculture in Shivajinagar, Pune. The station in Pashan also has a lot of greenery while NDA, being a defence area, has no big constructions. Consequently, we see that Lohegaon, Magarpatta, and KP have higher temperatures compared to Shivajinagar, Pashan, and NDA,” says SD Sanap, a Scientist at IMD Pune.
The urban heat island effect is a significant concern for cities like Pune, where rapid urbanisation and concrete development are altering local climates. While KP’s green spaces and old-world charm are still present, the increasing number of high-rise buildings and commercial complexes is contributing to the rising temperatures. This trend highlights the need for sustainable urban planning and green initiatives to mitigate the impact of urbanisation on local microclimates.
