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a day ago
- Climate
- Scroll.in
As heatwaves become more frequent, India's action plans have crucial gaps
This year, India experienced an unprecedented event. Goa and Maharashtra were hit by heatwaves in February – traditionally a winter month. The India Meteorological Department declared it the hottest February in 125 years. This was not an isolated change. Each year, temperature records are being shattered around the world, with an increasing number of heat days and heatwaves. Even as parts of the country now report an early onset of the monsoon, the urgency to address extreme heat remains undiminished. As the onset of heatwaves advances, discussions around heat action plans are gaining momentum. A recent study of heat policies across nine Indian cities established that most focus on short-term emergency responses necessary for saving lives. But they lacked long-term actions aimed at reducing systemic exposure to heat and stress on public health systems. In India, nearly 80% of the urban informal workforce is exposed to heat stress, a condition that arises when the body cannot regulate internal temperature or cool down effectively. This risk is higher among people who work outdoors, live in poorly ventilated homes or lack access to cooling. Most heat action plans overlook these critical vulnerabilities. Cities are grappling with a double-edged sword – climate-induced temperature anomalies and localised urban heat driven by poor planning and rapid development. To make heat responses effective, Indian cities must go beyond uniform strategies, understand the nature of heat and adapt their heat action strategies accordingly. The devil is in the details Heat is not monolithic. Its intensity, duration and impact varies across India's five geo-climatic zones: hot-dry, warm-humid, composite, temperate and cold. These classifications only provide a starting point. In practice, significant intra-state and even intra-city variations exist. For example, while much of southern Karnataka is warm and humid, Bengaluru – due to its elevation – enjoys a temperate climate. The state's northern regions, meanwhile, face hot-dry or composite conditions. Maharashtra offers a similar contrast. Mumbai and coastal areas are warm and humid, while the interiors experience hot-dry conditions. Zooming in further, even within a single city, heat exposure varies dramatically across neighborhoods. These differences are driven by land use, building materials, vegetation cover, and urban density. WRI India's ongoing research in Mumbai found that temperatures in some slum areas were up to 6°C higher than neighboring middle-income neighborhoods. The Mumbai Climate Action Plan also documents significant temperature variances between neighborhoods, linked directly to vegetation cover. Similarly, the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan found that the city's planned core was cooler, while its unplanned peripheries, home to many of the marginalised, were significantly hotter. Night-time land surface temperatures in these areas have risen by over 1.5°C in two decades. Well-planned neighborhoods with vegetation and waterbodies had summer land surface temperatures of 32°C-33°C, while industrial and poorly planned areas soared to 35°C-36°C. The findings underline a critical insight – urban form and land use deeply influence heat exposure. This means that while overarching principles for heat management plans may be consistent, implementation must be tailored to context. For example, while providing heat shelters is a common strategy, the building design and siting for warm-humid regions should differ vastly from hot-dry ones – from material choice and ventilation to energy usage considerations. Multi-dimensional thinking Effective heat action requires multi-dimensional thinking, from zoning and building codes to public health delivery systems, workplace safety and occupational hazard responses. It also demands that we recognise emerging spatial inequities that expose certain communities to disproportionately higher heat risks. What can cities do to make heat management truly actionable? First, they must build a case with better evidence. Cities must generate hyperlocal data that captures not just temperature but also the lived experiences of vulnerable populations. This means linking heat data with health records, socio-economic demographics and indicators of adaptive capacity to understand who is most at risk and why. Second, the authorities must differentiate between the spatial scope and intent of heat action plans. State-level plans often focus on the primary sectors – agriculture, fisheries, livestock. Urban areas receive limited focus. This is where city-specific plans become crucial. If done well, they can drill down to the micro-scale and offer the much-needed targeted solutions. Ironically, while Mumbai and Bengaluru do not yet have standalone heat action plans, their climate action plans provide an advanced foundation for localised heat responses. These cities are well-positioned to lead the discourse on contextual heat adaptation. Lastly, none of this is possible without institutional capacity. Urban governance systems must be equipped not just technically, but institutionally and financially. Responding to heat requires coordination across departments – health, planning, transport, housing, etc. It also necessitates a shared understanding of the problem, current challenges, long-term ramifications and the consequent need for multi-scalar and contextual solutions. India's cities are already in a state of climate emergency and heat is its most immediate and invisible threat. Without swift, locally informed action, we risk pushing over 75% of our labour force, especially those in heat-exposed jobs, into deeper vulnerability, jeopardising nearly 40% of our economy. A one-size-fits-all approach will not suffice. To protect lives, safeguard livelihoods and secure long-term resilience, heat actions must reflect the lived realities of people and the diverse geographies they inhabit.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Data jam studies heat islands in Mumbai
MUMBAI: The next time you're sweating it on a hot and muggy day, take a look around. The aim of this exercise is to determine whether you are positioned in a 'heat island'. 'If you think the temperature on IMD's site does not reflect what you're experiencing, it could be because of your location and the impact of urban heat,' said a presenter at Mumbai 'Datajam on Urban Heat in Mumbai' at St Xavier's College on Saturday. The data jam was organised by Open City, an urban data portal, along with NGOs such as C40 Cities, World Resources Institute India and Maharashtra's State Climate Cell. For seven hours on Saturday, more than 30 people including students and professionals assembled to study the effects of urban heat and how to tackle it. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, urban heat islands form when some areas experience hotter temperatures than others within a city. The participants at the data jam worked with data sets and maps that reflected land surface temperatures, demographics, formal and informal settlements, the morphology of buildings and other related elements in each civic ward in Mumbai – with a view to identifying heat islands, reasons and solutions. The civic wards focused on most were the ones that topped the list in vulnerability assessment done for the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP). Slum areas formed the largest heat islands in Mumbai, owing to lack of ventilation and population density. But, the participants found, this phenomenon extended to some mid-rise buildings, which created a wind tunnel and trapped heat. Interestingly, in H East ward, 70% of the population is crammed into 10% of the land that forms the slum pockets in Bandra East. This 10% land traps high amounts of heat, where temperatures range from 43 to 48 degrees Celsius. Similarly, in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, which is spacious and ventilated, the glass buildings are the heat traps. Moreover, H East ward has little or no healthy vegetation. M-East ward (Govandi), which ranks low on socio-economic factors, was divided according to the morphology of buildings and type of settlements. Participants highlighted that the BARC residential area was the only ideal spot in the ward, with low-rises and low population density. 'While several slum rehabilitation buildings are planned in the area, the height, density and construction material should be considered in terms of thermal conductivity. The ideal would be mid-rise and mid-density,' said Varun Phadke, a second-year MTech student at IIT Bombay. Participants working on L ward (Kurla) suggested natural coolers and heat-resistant pavements as mitigation measures in the long term, more air-conditioned buses, and water filters at the bus stops. They also said that the Mithi River traps heat due to stagnant water and pollution, so cleaning it would act as a cooling agent. These suggestions will be further presented to the ward officers and the state climate cell. The Maharashtra state climate cell undertook the development of a heat-resilience framework, which aims to look at local wards on a granular level for heat mitigation.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
BMC data shows Mumbai recorded reduction in emission levels
Mumbai has recorded a declining trend of carbon emissions between 2019 and 2024, shows the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's data that was presented in the annual environment budget released on June 5. Carbon emission refers to the release of carbon into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. This process is often a result of human activities like burning fossil fuels, industrial processes and deforestation. Emissions are measured as per carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)–a unit of measurement used to compare the climate impact of different Green House Gases (GHG) by expressing them in terms of equivalent amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The trend was recorded to make a GHG inventory for Mumbai which includes an analysis of sectors and sources that emit carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Civic officials said that such an inventory enables the city to build evidence-based mitigation actions and policies to monitor progress–aligned with global community standards. As part of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP), the first GHG inventory was recorded in 2019. According to the GHG inventory, nearly 74% of the emissions are contributed by stationary energy sources–which includes buildings and entities that depend on fossil fuel, electricity or thermal energy, while 19.1% is contributed by the transportation sector and the balance 6% is emitted from waste resources. According to the data, Mumbai recorded a decline of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission levels by an approximate 2 million tonnes between 2019 and 2023. The civic body's data shows that in 2019, a baseline study of emissions showed 26.75 million tonnes of which stood at 24.6 million tonnes by 2023–which is a decline by 2.15 million tonnes. 'Between 2019 and 2021, Mumbai's emissions steadily fell reaching their lowest point in 2021, largely due to pandemic induced economic slowdowns, before rising again post 2021,' said the BMC's budget document. Besides this, the data also shows that there has been a decline in emission from solid waste –which the civic body has attributed to the centralised waste processing facility that was started in Kanjurmarg and the BMC's data also shows that the waste sector has shown an overall reduction of emission by 6.4% which equates 1.57 million tonnes of CO2e. 'Emissions from the waste sector have shown a slight decrease, especially due to reduced emissions from solid waste generated in the city, which may be attributed to improved centralised waste processing and monitoring,' the BMC's document read. 'There are reductions observed in the commercial, institutional buildings and facilities sector (by 26.6%) and residential buildings sector (by 11.36%),' the document further said. Meanwhile, in its budget, the civic body has put forward a target of reducing Mumbai's overall emission levels by 30% till 2030 and 44% by 2040. Furthermore, the BMC in its climate budget has set up long-term targets that are to be achieved by 2030. According to the document, the civic body has aimed to reduce air pollution by at least 30%, urban heat island effect by 40% and increase vegetation cover by 40%. Furthermore, in its climate budget, the BMC has also proposed decarbonising Mumbai by at least 50% by electrification of all the existing BEST buses and civic-owned vehicles.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
BMC's climate budget: old wine in a new bottle?
Mumbai: Jumping on the World Environment Day bandwagon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday put their money where their mouth is, announcing a ₹17,000-crore 'climate budget' for the city. The civic body claimed that 37% of its capital expenditure budget will go towards 'climate-allied' activities. These include a wide range of things, from the biomining of the Deonar dumping ground to electric buses for BEST and solar panels, along with the construction of toilets, water infrastructure, markets, homes for project-affected people (PAP), and new fire brigade stations, among others. The BMC has increased its climate budget from last year's ₹10,224.24 crore by including the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) and seven more departments within it. Most of the activities listed in the budget are old BMC plans due to their effect on climate change. In March 2024, the BMC also created a new environment and climate change department. Claiming that its actions are working, the BMC also released data for greenhouse gas emissions till 2022-23, which showed a decrease from 2019-20 figures, but an increase from the Covid years in between. The BMC's climate spending takes its Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP), launched in 2022, as its benchmark. The plan is a strategic framework to make Mumbai climate-resilient and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, the ambit of the climate budget is wide. On the one hand, it concentrates on mitigating climate change, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, it also focuses on increasing the resilience of the city's population to the effects of climate change, i.e. adaptation. This gives the BMC a wide remit of activities to include under its climate spends. For instance, under unquantifiable actions taken, some of the activities listed include building toilets and installing sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators in public toilets; laying water pipelines, constructing storage tanks, a new water treatment plant and a desalination plant to improve water supply; stabilisation of hill slopes to reduce disaster risk; concessions for BEST bus tickets to those with disabilities; laying sewer lines; new healthcare facilities; improvement of footpaths, construction and maintenance of foot-over-bridges; a transportation and commercial hub at Dahisar Check Naka, municipal markets, PAP homes for the Goregaon Mulund Link Road project; and even a swimming pool and sports complex. Environmentalists, who are not new to challenging the BMC, were sceptical of the lofty budget. 'How to destroy the climate for 364 days, and how to plan for correcting the destruction for one day: that is the crux of the BMC's climate action plan,' said Zoru Bhathena, an environmental activist. 'The budget doesn't mention anything new that the civic body shouldn't already be doing,' said Debi Goenka, executive trustee of the nonprofit Conservation Action Trust. 'Setting up LED lights was introduced 10 years ago. Why is it newly added in the budget? BEST has already placed orders for EV buses that have not been delivered yet, so it is the same thing repeating. Many measures that could be taken up are severely lacking, including simple things like adding solar panels at bus depots. All this while the BMC is continuing to cut trees rampantly.' Sumaira Abdulali, founder of the NGO Awaaz Foundation, concurred. 'The number of trees being cut for infrastructure projects will not be covered in the greening of islands that they have taken up,' she said. 'As per the climate budget report, the PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels have come down to about 85 on average. Averaging out the winter numbers with the whole year will definitely bring it down. That doesn't mean the pollution is less. Regulation of the construction sites doesn't need a different budget. There just has to be proper enforcement of the AQI norms,' she added.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
BMC ups climate spending allocation to 16k cr
Mumbai: For the second consecutive year, the BMC released its Climate Budget Report on World Environment Day, showing a rise in climate-aligned spending. This year, the BEST is also part of the Climate Budget Report for the financial year 2025–26. As per the budget released on Thursday, a provision of Rs 17,066.12 crore for capital expenditure and Rs 3,268.97 crore for revenue expenditure was made for the financial year 2025-26 in the Climate Budget by BMC and BEST. For instance, the BMC, from its Rs 43,162.23 crore capital budget for FY 2025-26, which was released in Feb 2025, earmarked Rs 16,321.33 crore (37.81%) for climate-aligned projects. In comparison, last year's climate spend stood at Rs 10,224.24 crore —32.18% of the Rs 31,774.59 crore capital budget. The BMC in Feb announced its annual budget of Rs 7,4427 crore for the FY2025-26, out of which Rs 43162 crore or 58% was marked as capexAdditionally, in FY 2024-25, the civic body allocated Rs 2,163.8 crore (6.81%) for capital works that integrated components of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan, such as rainwater harvesting and sewage treatment. This year, the BEST undertaking allocated Rs 744.79 crore (40%) of its Rs 1,849.24 crore total capital works budget to climate-relevant activities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 새로 나온 '실비보험' 최적가 가입추천! "월 보험료 줄이고, 보장은 더 든든하게"... 굿리치 보험대리점 (등록번호:제2006038313호) 가입하기 Undo Additionally, Rs 3,263.35 crore (43.25%) of its Rs 7,544.39 crore revenue expenditure is climate-aligned. Key initiatives listed in the 2025-26 climate budget include biomethanation plants, technological upgrades at the Mahalaxmi refuse transfer station, ward-level dry waste sheds, PNG-based crematoriums, and solar installations across civic hospitals—such as solar panels, lighting, and water heaters. The Climate Budget includes planning and implementation of projects, policies, and climate-friendly measures across sectors such as energy and buildings, integrated transport, sustainable waste management, urban green spaces and biodiversity, air quality, flood resilience, and water resource management. "BMC is bearing the brunt of plastic pollution—drains cleaned before monsoon show more plastic bags than silt. While enforcement is underway, self-regulation by citizens is key to reducing plastic use," said a civic official. BMC stated that it achieved 86.26% financial progress on its FY 2024–25 Climate Budget and 79.96% on the additional budget incorporating MCAP components, with physical progress reported across 739 climate-linked budget activities.
