Poor infrastructure and socio-economic factors make Chennai more vulnerable to heat stress and related illness etc. There are about 8000 persons without homes in Chennai and this city is the most exposed (out of 21 cities in TN) to the climate changes.
The chief minister of TN, Mr. M.K. Stalin released a report from CCCDM or centre for climatic change and disaster management from Anna University or AU. According to the report, Chennai city is the most exposed across TN. Chennai contributes to the highest population density in TN with more people without homes. One of the hottest city in TN is Vellore and this city is the least exposed city to climate change.
The hazard assessment of the cities has revealed that Chennai, Tambaram and Avadi are the most affected by multiple hazards by floods, drought, heat waves, thermal discomfort, pollution hazards etc. It must be taken into account that Thanjavur city comes next to Chennai due to drought proneness plus 44 days of heat waves and 27 days of thermal discomfort.
The sensational piece of information is that when compared to other cities in TN Chennai has better preparedness in energy efficiency, green buildings and waste management etc. Bitter fact is that most cities present in TN (except, Coimbatore, Chennai and Trichy) would need more preparedness measures in the waste management measures. It is now brought to light that when the climate hazards hit cities like Dindigul, Vellore and Tirunelveli these cities would become highly vulnerable. The reason is due to the poor infrastructure and health facilities (in terms of protected water supply and number of hospitals etc) in these cities.
For the city of Chennai alone, 70% of climatic operations are being taken up and this was confirmed by the report.