HYDERABAD: As temperatures cross 46°C in several parts of Telangana, familiar warnings to stay indoors, remain hydrated and avoid stepping out during peak afternoon hours have returned. But experts say the worsening heat is no longer just a seasonal crisis and reflects deeper failures in urban planning, environmental protection and long-term climate preparedness.
Criticism is mounting over the state’s Heatwave Action Plan, which largely focuses on awareness campaigns while many structural causes driving extreme heat remain unaddressed.
“Preparedness is not optional, it is a constitutional obligation,” said policy expert and environmentalist Donthi Narasimha Reddy, warning that Telangana’s recurring heatwaves are now consequences of climate change and ecological degradation rather than isolated seasonal events.
Environmentalists point to disappearing tree cover, shrinking lakes and expanding concrete landscapes as major contributors to rising urban temperatures.
“At a time when cities need more shade, cooling and ecological balance, large-scale tree cutting continues while urban spaces are increasingly being buried under concrete,” said environmentalist Uday Krishna.
He said flyovers, elevated corridors and dense high-rise construction are intensifying the urban heat island effect instead of reducing it.
“Instead of expanding cities outward in a balanced manner, urban growth is being pushed vertically through dense high-rise developments primarily driven by revenue generation. This only intensifies the urban heat island effect,” he said.
While the Heat Wave Action Plan includes measures such as cooling centres, “water bells” in schools, restricted Anganwadi timings and mandal-level heat forecasts, experts say some provisions expose weak coordination between departments.
One section reportedly places responsibility on hospitals and Primary Health Centres to ensure cool roofs.
“Such responsibilities are far beyond the functional scope of healthcare institutions and reflect a lack of coordination between departments handling urban planning, forests, water management and public health,” Uday Krishna said.
Experts also highlighted contradictions in policy priorities. While residents are encouraged to paint rooftops white to reduce heat absorption, approvals for glass-heavy and energy-intensive buildings continue without climate safeguards. Rooftop solar panels, which can reduce rooftop heat while generating electricity, are also yet to be promoted aggressively at scale.
Another concern raised is that Heatwave Action Plans released in 2021, 2024 and 2026 reportedly repeated the same statement that more than 31,000 Anganwadi Centres and over 4,000 mini-Anganwadi Centres remain vulnerable to heatwaves, suggesting little remediation work has taken place despite years of official acknowledgement.
Calling heatwaves “a structural feature of climate change rather than a seasonal aberration,” experts warned that Telangana’s shrinking water bodies, rocky terrain and rapidly concretising cities make the state increasingly vulnerable to recurring heat emergencies.
Scattered rainfall brings no relief from heatwave
Hyderabad: Despite scattered rainfall in parts of Telangana on Saturday, severe heatwave conditions continued across the state, with Kunchavelli in Komaram Bheem Asifabad recording 46.5°C on Sunday. Hyderabad’s highest temperature was 42.7°C at Langar Houz. The IMD forecast light to moderate rainfall over the next three days across Telangana
