On the issues of rapid skin tanning in CCpur, much have been said and discuss over the past several years with many explanations. I felt that wrongful information's can be used by some vested interest. So, I began asking around, writing to several environment scientists, architects and academicians. And here is some of the excerpts of our conversation with many professionals. I hope we can offers plausible explanations for the reasons. Rapid skin darkening is in response to environment stimuli including solar radiation, to protect skin from harmful radiation of red and blue in the spectrum. It is reversible, of course, in direct proportion to the quantum of exposure and time frame.
It is partly due to Jhum (shifting cultivation), deforestation, exposed hillocks which are deprived of forest canopy. we have another term in urban design called Urban heat Island for a city/town that is warmer than its surrounding rural area due to human activities. The main cause of the urban heat island is modification of the land surface by developments which uses materials which effectively retain heat. For CCpur, the exposed hillocks around the town is also responsbile for this trend. We urgently requires a proactive environmental remediation protocol. People may have to use UV cutters (skin protecting gels, creams etc), and avoid direct exposure to sun. Over a prolonged period, the possibility of increase in skin cancer also lurks. The presence of large water body ie Dam has nothing to do with the rapid tanning of skin. Water has a high specific heat capacity, which means it absorbs a lot of energy in order to increase in temperature and can absorb a great deal of the energy on hot days, keeping the surrounding air cooler, and release a lot of energy to the air on cool days, keeping the air warmer. And to say that seasonal increase in temperature is the cause is wrong.
Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent diseases, which account for many of all new cancer cases. The majority of these skin cancer cases are non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) which occur primarily on sun-exposed areas of the body and cumulative cellular changes brought about by ultraviolet (UV) light radiation.
The increasing rates of NMSC is attributed to many factors, increased outdoor activity, and an increase in the UV index due to reductions in the ozone layer.
Life style modification plus environmental remediation protocols is needed urgently. There should be mass plantations of trees around the town and There is also need for heightened awareness about the need for limited sun exposure and use of sunscreens.
That’s our take. Planting more trees, gradually phasing out shifting cultivation and using UV creams.