About 76 per cent of Delhi area heat-stressed for six or more years: Report

About 76 per cent of Delhis area remained heatstressed for six or more years between 2015 and 2024 with a majority of construction sites marketplaces and schools located in areas experiencing recurring extreme heat according to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment CSEThe report titled Making Delhi HeatResilient A Roadmap with the Focus on Vulnerable Groups said that 9872 per cent of Delhis total area crossed the heatstress threshold at least once during the decadeAccording to the study 92 per cent of construction projects are located in areas where land surface temperatures crossed the 45 degrees Celsius threshold at least once between 2015 and 2024 while 77 per cent are in areas witnessing recurring extreme heatAbout 84 per cent of the 643 mapped marketplaces including major mandis are situated in areas experiencing recurrent heat stress while 76 per cent of mapped informal settlements housing nearly 132 million people are located in heatstressed localities it saidThe report also found that 80 per cent of the 1066 schools mapped in the city are located in heatstressed areas It identified 35 wards including Matiala Kakraula Narela and Chandni Chowk as having very high to high cumulative vulnerabilityAccording to the report 153 of Delhis 272 wards have more than 75 per cent of their area exposed to recurring heat stress while 82 wards have more than 90 per cent of their area under heat stress Seventeen wards have their entire area under heat stressThe report said Delhi faces a deepening crisis from rising temperatures with feelslike temperatures reaching as high as 52 degrees Celsius in 2025 It noted that 25 heatrelated deaths were reported in the city in 2024 by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare while independent reports put the number at more than 55It added that Delhi is shifting towards a new and warmer normal with increases observed in both annual average maximum and minimum temperatures over the past four decadesDelhis ability to cool down at night has reduced by 9 per cent the report said adding that the citys core cools 38 degrees Celsius less than its periurban counterparts causing heat stress to be retained round the clock in dense concreteheavy neighbourhoodsAreas identified as persistently heatstressed include the walled city and its extensions Karol Bagh Kashmere Gate ISBT and its surroundings Connaught Place inner circle Uttam Nagar Palam Dabri Najafgarh Kanjhawala Budh Vihar Bawana and NarelaOther heatstressed locations include Samaypur Badli Bhalswa Jahangirpuri Burari Shahdara Bhajanpura Karawal Nagar Ghazipur industrial area Badarpur Madanpur Khadar Okhla industrial area Tughlaqabad Sangam Vihar Mahipalpur Aya Nagar Bhikaji Cama Place AIIMS RK Puram Kotla Mubarakpur Sarai Kale Khan parts of Green Park Greater Kailash East of Kailash and Lajpat Nagar according to the reportThe study found that industrial areas such as Bawana Mayapuri Mundka Anand Parbat and Mongolpuri have emerged as major heat hotspots Several residential neighbourhoods were also found to be recording land surface temperatures ranging from 44 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees CelsiusThe report also identified newly built and redeveloped projects such as Bharat Mandapam East Kidwai Nagar housing complex the World Trade Centre in Safdarjung and Netaji Nagar as heatstressedIt said land surface temperatures reached as high as 6077 degrees Celsius during summer months in locations such as the Indira Gandhi International Airport and in areas with unsown agricultural land and barren stretchesAccording to the report Delhis green cover declined from 2536 per cent in 2014 to 1414 per cent in 2024 while the footprint of water bodies reduced from 125 per cent to 099 per cent during the same periodThe report said around 35 per cent of the citys existing green and blue areas are themselves heatstressed highlighting the need to improve the quality of green spaces in addition to increasing their extentAt the same time some parts of the city including Lutyens Delhi Civil Lines and Delhi Cantonment remained below the heatstress threshold largely due to extensive tree cover and shading over paved surfaces The Yamuna also continues to provide some cooling relief with land surface temperatures around it remaining close to 33 degrees Celsius the report saidDelhi is in the grip of an escalating urban heat crisis the report said warning that heatrelated productivity losses could amount to up to 45 per cent of Indias GDP or approximately USD 150250 billion by the end of this decadeFor the study CSE analysed Landsat satellite data from 2015 to 2024 to identify areas where land surface temperatures repeatedly exceeded 45 degrees CelsiusResearchers also mapped children elderly people women construction workers street vendors homeless people and residents of informal settlements and overlaid their locations with heatstressed areas to identify the citys most vulnerable neighbourhoodsThe report called for a heat resilience strategy focused on vulnerable groups along with measures such as thermally efficient roofs public cooling centres climateresponsive urban planning and expansion of green cover across the cityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever