HYDERABAD: Hyderabad is grappling with a dangerous combination of rising temperatures and hazardous air quality, a situation experts warn could soon define the city’s everyday reality. Even as daytime temperatures touch 30°C and early morning readings stay between 20°C and 22°C, air quality has remained in the ‘severe’ category, raising serious health concerns.
On February 2, air quality readings from across the city highlighted the severity of the crisis. Kokapet recorded an AQI of 228, followed by Sanathnagar at 198, Bollarum at 196, Patancheru at 188, Nacharam and Kompally at 199 each, and Ramachandrapuram at 194. Experts said such levels, at a time when pollution is expected to ease, reflect a deeper and more structural environmental failure, as high pollution persists despite rising temperatures.
Senior environmental expert and professor Purshottam Kumar Reddy said temperature alone cannot explain the current situation. “Usually, as temperatures rise, warm air near the surface moves upward, allowing pollutants to disperse. But this is not happening effectively now. Winds are weak and largely confined to surface levels, preventing vertical movement,” he said.
He warned that changing climate patterns are altering local weather behaviour. “Global climate change is altering atmospheric behaviour. The conditions today cannot be compared with those in previous years. The planet itself is undergoing transformation, and these changes are irreversible in the short term,” he said.
Purshottam also flagged the absence of civic responsibility as a critical factor. “People often believe pollution is not their problem. This absence of civic sense is one of India’s biggest tragedies,” he said.
Another expert, Donthi Narasimha Reddy, pointed to unchecked urbanisation and deteriorating infrastructure. “Even though daytime temperatures are rising, evenings remain relatively cool, creating conditions for pollutants to stagnate. Roads are damaged, construction is rampant and vehicle numbers continue to increase,” he said.
Environmental experts warned that without immediate and coordinated intervention, hazardous air quality could become Hyderabad’s “new normal”. They called for urgent steps, including stricter monitoring of construction sites, better road maintenance, improved public transport, tighter vehicle emission checks and stronger enforcement, along with participation.
As the city moves closer to peak summer, residents remain anxious, uncertain whether meaningful relief is possible or whether polluted skies will continue to shape the future.