Hyderabad is experiencing increased temperatures due to the development of urban heat islands. Rapid urbanization, shrinking green spaces, and growing concrete structures are leading to higher temperatures in densely populated areas. This phenomenon impacts public health, increases energy consumption, and puts additional strain on the city’s infrastructure and resources.
Hyderabad reeled under a hot summer sun before it got drenched in the southwest monsoon.
While Hyderabad is not known for lower temperatures, the effects of climate change have worsened the heat in the City of Nawabs. With incessant urbanisation not showing any signs of slowing down, is the city set to become hotter due to the Urban Heat Island effect?
Urban Heat Island
Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect describes the phenomenon of an urban area being warmer than the surrounding areas. Such urban regions are called UHIs.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, USA, Downtown New York is a UHI averaging 1 to 3 degrees Celsius higher than the surrounding areas.
The contributors to creating UHIs can vary from high population density to the constant machinery that runs in a city. However, it almost always boils down to rampant urbanisation.
According to a 2024 IIT-Bhubaneshwar study, Hyderabad saw a 0.75 degrees Celsius increase in Land Surface Temperature in the past decade.
It credited increased human activity and growth in higher-thermal-inertia surfaces like aluminum and concrete for the UHI effect’s increase. It also noted that the altered cityscape of Hyderabad limited its natural evaporative cooling systems.
UHIs are responsible for deteriorating air and water quality, increased energy costs, and health-related issues.
Hyderabad’s cluster of UHIs
Research from the Hyderabad Urban Lab suggests that the city has multiple UHI clusters. As of March 2024, Northwestern (Patancheruvu and Bandlaguda wards), Western (Gachibowli ward), Southern (Mailardevpally ward) and Southeast (BN Reddy Nagar, Hayathnagar and Mansoorabad wards) regions of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have the highest concentrations of UHIs.
HeatWatch, a not-for-profit organisation tracking climate change in India, recently surveyed gig workers citywide to assess the effects of heat on their jobs. The survey, done in collaboration with the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union, found that about 50 percent of the workers reported decreased productivity due to heat.
Additionally, many workers also face heat-related health issues.
The decrease in Hyderabad’s blue and green covers is another key factor in aggravating the UHI effect. As per the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), the blue cover (extent of lakes) in Hyderabad has gone down 61 percent between 1979 and 2024.
Plans without action
On 24 July 2024, Kesineni Sivanath, Vijayawada MP, raised questions in parliament regarding the government action plan to reduce the UHI effect. The question, directed at the Ministry of Earth Sciences, demanded information on funding countermeasures and revealing existing data.
Speaking of countermeasures against heatwaves due to the UHI effect, the government revealed having an active Heat Action Plan in 23 states. The National Disaster Management Authority and state governments jointly implement the plan.
Subsequently, HeatWatch posted a fact-check of the government’s answer. It reported no announced initiative or plans, adding that low-income localities faced the brunt of the UHI effect worse than high-income localities.
Additionally, they reported that the 23 localised planning and implementation. They also noted that the government’s response was limited to acknowledging seldom translating to action.
As things stand, the imbalance between urbanisation and sustainability seems skewed towards the former. Even as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation aims to rejuvenate 47 lakes in the city, records do not inspire much hope. #hydkhabar
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