HYDERABAD: Hyderabad recorded temperatures about 1°C higher than the previous decade’s average in April 2024, indicating a rising trend of heat stress linked to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon.
The Socio-Economic Outlook 2025, tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday, explained that UHI occurs when urban areas experience significantly higher temperatures than nearby rural regions. This is caused by factors such as human activities, concentrated infrastructure, reduced green cover, heat-absorbing urban materials, limited surface water, poor airflow, increased energy consumption, and pollution.
Telangana’s tropical climate, marked by hot and dry conditions, makes its urban areas especially vulnerable to the UHI effect. The Urban Heat Stress Tracker-Hyderabad report, published by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), highlights the growing intensity of UHI effects in Hyderabad and other urban areas in Telangana.
The state government has introduced strategies to tackle the environmental and socio-economic challenges posed by urbanisation and climate change. Telangana’s Clean and Green Energy Policy 2025 aims to promote renewable energy adoption, energy efficiency, and sustainable urban development.
The policy focuses on creating cooler, greener, and more climate-resilient cities. According to the Outlook report, these measures are expected to address the UHI effect directly or indirectly and improve urban climate resilience.