Managing Heat in Hyderabad

Brief general context:

• India is regularly experiencing periods of extreme heat. 
• About 50% of India’s GDP is dependent on heat-exposed work in sectors such as agriculture, mining, construction and casual work. 
• The economic drain of heat to India has been estimated to be approx. 5.4% to 6.7% of GDP – equivalent to approx. US$170-211 billion / year using 2021 national GDP data. Outdoors workers are particularly impacted by heat. 
• Poor design and lack of planning in urbanisation including heat-trapping human-made structures and a loss of vegetation and natural water areas has led to the urban heat island effect across Indian cities and towns. Measures are being implemented to address this. 

The right mindset:

• Being prepared for periods of intense heat and tackling the root causes of how heat levels are exacerbated is key.

The right investment / funding:

• Investment in technology solutions to predict heatwaves is highly likely to reap economic, financial and social benefits. 
• Investment in low-cost cooling solutions warrants focus. The private sector can play a valuable support role to government for this.

Good governance: 

• Since April 2017, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has been using a Forecast Demonstration Project (FDP) to help to address the problem. 
• The city of Hyderabad in Telangana State has governance measures in place, linked to the Heat Action Plan (HAP) for the State of Telangana, to address the impacts of heat. 
• The HAP for the State of Telangana, which incorporates Hyderabad (a city of approx. 10 million people), includes a commitment to use good quality data for decision-making. 
• Good urban governance is key, with a focus on sensible passive cooling solutions rather than total reliance on mechanical cooling methods such as air-conditioning. 
• Independent audits of Heat Action Plans (HAPs) can drive good governance. 

Good data:

• The Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has established an advanced prediction system for heatwave warnings. 
• Earth observations data of land use and monitoring of temperatures provides people with warnings of predicted heatwaves, to take action in good time – if they can afford to do so. 
• Data for modelling (including understanding urban heat hot spots) can improve the ability to predict the impact of heat in specific areas and to take action to minimise it.

Meaningful inclusion:

• Good community engagement is critical, especially with those who are most vulnerable. 
• Infrastructure such as power (energy sources, transmission lines etc.) and water needs to service people’s power and water needs during periods of extreme and intense heat.

Meaningful targets:

• Heat-related deaths need a constant focus and a common recognition method. 
• Economically, a1% saving in GDP by reducing the impact of extreme and intense heat would generate a significant economic saving.

Examples of action taking place: 

• In 2019 the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) was launched for sustainable cooling. 
• In Hyderabad, analysis of local areas using Landsat data has shown Urban Heat Island (UHI) hotspots to focus on. 
• Vegetation and water areas are being revived in Hyderabad. Telangana Ku Haritha Haram (TKHH) is a tree planting program by the State of Telangana operating since 2015-16.  
• Government support for citizens during intense heat helps avoid heat-related deaths. Actions are being implemented to also improve air quality (which links to heat problems).

Example considerations for any city to consider that may help to reduce heat risk: 

• How do / can cities or other jurisdictions benefit from having Chief Heat Officers? 
• Can cities work with communities on community continuity plans to address heat? 
• Can cities liaise with businesses about their business continuity plans to address heat? 
• Rather than plan for “infrequent heat events”, municipal administrations could consider plausible worst-case scenarios in inclusive workshops to agree actions to take. 
• Good data on urban heat reduction solutions needs to be captured and linked to governance to guide policies (e.g. how to implement and maintain reflective surfaces). 
• Can positive outcomes resulting from action to tackle heat be shown visually – for example, a map of an area showing positive impacts of action taken on people and businesses?  
• The Cool Coalition and global think tanks such as the Arsht-Rock Heat Action Platform may be able to offer advice to cities and other jurisdictions to combat heat.

Sources:

• Managing Heat in Hyderabad – Case Study Supporting Paper (contact author). 
• Simple ways cities can adapt to heat (the BBC). 
• The Suredis Cities website – focus on urban heat.