Hotter Than Ever: How are Small Cities dealing with Rising Temperatures?

Tamil Nadu’s quaint hill station, Ooty experienced the hottest day on the 30th of April with a temperature of 29.4°Celsius. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) highlighted the record-breaking fact that this was Ooty’s highest maximum temperature since 1901! Similarly, the nearby Kodagu district in Karnataka also experienced high temperatures up to 38.6°C in April. This month on the 23rd, Rajasthan’s Barmer witnessed the highest temperature in the country with 48°C. Other smaller cities in the state with high temperatures include Phalodi (47.8°), Churu (47.4°), and Jaisalmer (47.2°). Elsewhere in India, intense heat shot up to 47.7° in Sirsa, 46.6° in Bhatinda, 46.1° in Kandla, 45° in Ratlam and Jhansi, along with 44.8° in Akola. It is evident just by skimming through the latest news articles how more and more smaller cities in India are grappling with rising temperatures and heatwaves.

A recent study by IIT-Bhubaneswar has put a spotlight on how rapid urbanisation has alone contributed to an overall 60% increase in the warming of Indian cities. The paper, ‘Urbanisation and Regional Climate Change-linked Warming of Indian Cities’, points out how Tier-II cities in eastern India showed stronger urbanisation-driven warming compared to larger metros like New Delhi and Mumbai. Due to intense, unplanned urban development, the natural landscapes of these smaller cities are increasingly being replaced with heat-absorbing materials like concrete and asphalt, which has contributed to their urban heat island (UHI) effect.

As heatwaves become longer, intense and frequent, India grapples with a rising threat to its economy, food price-led inflation, and public health conditions. In cities like Bhubaneswar, vendors of perishable goods face adverse challenges due to the lack of refrigeration, poor infrastructure, and extreme heat. Such sellers have to operate at a loss as they are forced to sell below the purchase rate to avoid high food wastage. Meanwhile, impacts of climate change have created unanticipated changes in livelihoods and migration patterns. In the arid region of Rajasthan’s Gangapur, ice-cream vending has become a vital economic lifeline due to severe water scarcity impacting agriculture in neighbouring villages. Each year, from November to February, close to 50,000 trucks are converted into ice-cream trucks, preparing for a nine-month migration to sell ice-cream in distant towns.

In terms of public health, a study by the SwitchON Foundation revealed that 73% of women and 62% of men in urban areas of Odisha face heat exhaustion during heatwaves. Common health issues include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and heat rash, with headaches being the most prevalent concern. The study highlights significant challenges, such as 56% of respondents having limited access to cooling facilities and 61% experiencing frequent power cuts and water shortages. About 33% are under financial strain due to the heat. In March 2024, within a span of 28 days, Maharashtra recorded a concerning tally of 23 heatstroke cases. Amravati reported the highest number of cases, followed by Raigad, Pune, Beed, Buldhana, and Kolhapur. Additionally, Thane, Ahmednagar, Akola, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Dhule, Gadchiroli, Jalgaon, Nanded, and Satara each reported one case.

Furthermore, UNICEF's analysis revealed that South Asia has the highest percentage of children exposed to extreme high temperatures, with close to 460 million children (17%) under 18 facing over 83 days annually exceeding 35°C. Additionally, 28% of South Asian children experience 4.5 or more heatwaves per year. Extreme heat, exacerbated by climate change, poses severe physical and mental health risks to children and pregnant women. Under the looming pressure of heatwaves, several Indian states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and West Bengal have modified school schedules or declared early summer vacations to protect students’ health. In Himachal Pradesh, Una became the hottest city on the 23rd of May, recording a maximum temperature of 41.4° which led to the local MeT department issuing a yellow warning. To protect children from the harmful heat, local authorities ordered public as well as private schools to remain closed for two days.

In various cities across India, several adaptive measures are being implemented to cope with the rising summer temperatures. In Ahmedabad, mist sprinklers are being used in traffic junctions, while in Bhubaneswar, “cool wards” are being designed to provide a cooler environment for patients, particularly those suffering from heat-related ailments. Community action is also tackling the pressures of climate change and rising temperatures head-on. Solar Decathlon India, enabled by the Indian Institute for Human Settlement (IIHS) and Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), is engaging community efforts to design net-zero carbon buildings that utilise clean cooling. In Aligarh, this initiative brought together students from Jindal School of Architecture to partner with the Society for Human Welfare & Education to design a new Hamara School campus for underprivileged children. Meanwhile, the sustainability consultancy - cBalance Solutions is creating innovative solutions for making informal housing more comfortable. By conducting trials with local communities and “listening workshops” with women who reside in such spaces, they have come up with cooling techniques like utilising alu-foil barriers, lightweight rooftop vegetation, and discarded PET bottles filled with water.

In Nagpur, Professor Rajashree Kotharkar from VNIT has been leading a decade-long heat study by utilising a network of 14 sensors to map temperature variations and understand the built environment's impact on microclimates. By collaborating with authorities, Kotharkar's team of researchers is developing a localised Heat Action Plan (HAP) to guide cities in issuing heat alerts and protecting at-risk communities. Similarly, Jodhpur launched its HAP in April last year, which was developed in consultation with Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). This year on 23rd May, Jodhpur Nagar Nigam North hosted a Stakeholder Consultation to continue enhancing their HAP by utilising local data and community inputs. Furthermore, as a part of Jodhpur’s HAP, a first-of-its-kind ‘Net Zero Cooling Station’ has been constructed. The Cooling Station is a dedicated space for the urban poor, which temporarily provides shelter and relief from extreme heat. It includes mist sprinklers, cooling curtains, along with provisions of drinking water and first-aid facilities. Powered by solar panels and a wind tower, it also has Bison and Khas panels that makes the space eco-friendly and sustainable.

In January 2023, Nagrika also briefly discussed HAPs in the commentary titled, “Is your city prepared for the next heatwave?” In May 2024, we published a report under our second Nagrikal Series focused on Climate Change in small cities, which discusses the rise in temperature and heatwaves with regard to coverage in research, data monitoring, and data availability, along with policy responses and city-level actions. The web launch of the report was held along with the panel discussion, “Heat on the Horizon: Rising Temperatures in India's Smaller Cities-Impact and Solutions.” The panel consisting of speakers Professor Anjana Vyas, Neetu Jain, and Mr. Vivek Gilani, highlighted solutions such as creating Green Building Rating System, urban planning tools, creating cool roofs through terracotta tiles, white reflective paints, light rooftop gardens, and gathering community inputs for cooling needs. To effectively deal with the challenges of rising temperatures, cities across India must prioritise developing comprehensive HAPs according to localised contexts. To build resilient urban environments, community-led initiatives for sustainable cooling solutions have to be championed, along with enhancing data-driven monitoring and policy responses.

Is your city experiencing unusually high temperatures? How are authorities or community action resolving heat-related problems in your city? Tell us in the comments below!