The Heat Is On

Rising temperatures are pushing the boundaries of human ability to endure heat. Urban areas, characterized by their largely developed infrastructure, provide little relief. Research conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment on the structure and heat characteristics of nine Indian cities during the last ten years demonstrates how these urban hubs are transforming into heat islands, posing a potentially severe threat to human health.

Based on this analysis, CSE conducted a webinar titled “THE HEAT IS ON” on May 10, 2024. Ms. Snigdha Das moderated the webinar, with speakers including Mr. Rajneesh Sareen (Programme Director, Sustainable Habitat Programme), Ms. Mitashi Singh (Programme Manager, Sustainable Habitat Programme), and Dr. Nimish Gupta (Deputy Programme Manager, Sustainable Habitat Programme). The webinar was attended by 5,488 people across various platforms (Zoom, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube).

The webinar presented CSE’s analysis of nine cities, emphasizing the impact of poorly planned, heat-trapping infrastructure and dwindling blue-green spaces, resulting in increased temperatures and heightened health risks for urban residents. Various mitigative and adaptive strategies were also discussed, focusing on how these can be incorporated to improve the thermal quality of life for residents. This was followed by a series of question-and-answer sessions.

Key Takeaways

• CSE's analysis assessed various Indian cities across different climatic zones and also recommended heat mitigation interventions.
• All of the cities analyzed experienced a significant decline in green and blue infrastructures, resulting in increased land surface temperatures.
• Five out of nine cities analyzed have approximately 80 percent of their areas under heat stress.
• Thermal discomfort due to the combination of heat and humidity suggests a high level of discomfort in cities near the coast (Chennai, Kolkata, and Bhubaneswar).
• Vulnerability assessment of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area suggests that 47.2 percent of the wards in the city are moderate to extremely vulnerable to heat.
• A deep-dive analysis for Pune suggested that effective vegetation cover, water bodies, and construction materials were identified as the major drivers of heat, while elements of urban morphology and metabolism were inferred as influencers.