Delhi-NCR is fast becoming an “island of heat”, as surface temperatures have risen by 2-3 degree Centigrade in the past three decades, says a new study.
With a population of 21 million, Delhi-NCR has become hotter than it was 30 years ago largely due to industrialisation, rising population and massive urbanisation, says the study by TERI University.
The study, which used space remote sensing–based analysis of land surface temperature for its research, was supported by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India.
A primary analysis done by the study showed a 2-3°C increase in surface temperature over the city in the past three decades, says a TERI release.
It noted that the pressure on urban infrastructure development was steadily increasing resource dependency and heat emissions, better known as “urban heat island (UHI)’’.
“UHI is prominently visible during night times when temperature differences between urban Delhi and surrounding rural areas reaches up to 5-7°C….UHI thus causes a tremendous surge in air-conditioner and electricity usage adding the higher dimension of global warming to the regional scale problem,” it adds.
Pinning the blame on rising temperature to massive changes in land use consumption patterns, increased pollutant emissions, shrinking green covers, and so forth, the study calls for planned urbanisation.
“This can include increasing proportion of vegetation cover in city, controlling rampant constructions taking place throughout the city, along with implementing more stringent rules for air quality controls” it says.