Sweltering Nights: Decoding Urban Heat Stress in Delhi

This case study on the analysis of heat stress in Delhi was written by Avikal Somvanshi and Sharanjeet Kaur. It was published by the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based public interest research and advocacy organization, on October 26, 2023. Recent scientific studies have shown that rising temperatures have serious adverse impacts on urban areas and that there is a need for city-specific heat wave management plans. However, most existing emergency action plans do not consider several factors that affect temperatures in urban areas, the study notes. This report looks into weather conditions in summer (March to August) which are impacted by not just daytime temperatures, but also nighttime temperatures, humidity, surface heat absorption, land surface temperature, changing land-use and electricity consumption. The research is based on a statistical analysis of temperature and humidity levels in Delhi since 2001. On the basis of this analysis, the study recommends having a heat action plan for Delhi that focuses on reducing the accumulation of waste heat, that is, heat produced as a byproduct of machines at work. The 36-page study contains three sections: Introduction (Section 1); Key Findings (Section 2); and Way Forward (Section 3).