Credit note:
This video is adapted from an original video by Faye D’Souza. Full credit goes to Faye D’Souza and her team for the original reporting and framing of this issue.
Step outside in many Indian cities today and you are met not with warmth, but with an almost suffocating wall of heat. Streets shimmer, buildings radiate warmth long after sunset, and air conditioners hum relentlessly. This is not a passing discomfort—it is a structural transformation of urban life. Increasingly, Indian cities are edging towards conditions that challenge basic liveability.
Let’s unpack why.
A Nation Heating Faster Than It Can Adapt
India is currently experiencing extreme heat events of unprecedented scale. In fact, at times, 90 out of the world’s 100 hottest cities are located in India, even before peak summer begins . This is not a random anomaly. Scientists warn that this trend has been building for years and will likely intensify.
Now pause and consider:
If temperatures are already this high before the hottest months, what does that mean for the future of urban living?
The Disappearing Green Shield
One of the most fundamental yet overlooked reasons for rising urban heat is the loss of tree cover.
Trees are not decorative—they are infrastructure. They cool cities through three powerful mechanisms:
- Shade, which blocks direct solar radiation
- Evapotranspiration, where moisture released by plants cools surrounding air
- Surface cooling, reducing ground temperature
Studies show that standing under a tree can feel up to 10°C cooler than standing on exposed concrete . That is not marginal—it is transformative.
Yet across Indian cities, mature trees are being replaced with concrete for roads, flyovers, and metro lines. While authorities often promise compensatory planting, a sapling cannot replicate the ecological function of a decades-old tree.
Ask yourself:
Would you trade a natural cooling system for a strip of asphalt?
The Urban Heat Island Effect
Modern cities are, quite literally, heat traps.
Concrete, asphalt, and glass absorb heat during the day and release it slowly at night. This creates what scientists call the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, where cities can be 2–10°C hotter than surrounding rural areas .
Imagine a landscape where:
- Roads store heat like a battery
- Buildings reflect sunlight onto streets
- Glass facades bounce heat outward
The result? Cities that do not cool down, even after sunset.
This constant heat retention increases:
- Energy consumption (more air conditioning)
- Health risks (heat stress and mortality)
- Inequality (those without cooling suffer the most)
Urbanisation is not just expanding cities—it is intensifying their climate.
Architecture That Works Against the Climate
Traditional Indian architecture evolved over centuries to respond to heat:
- Thick walls made of mud, lime, or stone
- Courtyards that encouraged airflow
- High ceilings for heat dissipation
- Cross-ventilation through multiple openings
Modern buildings, however, often ignore these principles.
Today’s structures:
- Use glass and steel that heat rapidly
- Trap air instead of circulating it
- Reflect sunlight back into the environment
Glass buildings, in particular, are poorly suited to India’s climate. Designed for colder regions to capture heat, they do the opposite of what Indian cities need—they amplify it .
The irony is striking:
In trying to modernise, cities have abandoned designs that made them livable in the first place.
The Vanishing Water Bodies
Water is one of nature’s most effective cooling systems. It absorbs heat slowly and releases it gradually, stabilising temperatures.
Lakes, ponds, wetlands, and rivers:
- Lower surrounding air temperatures
- Increase humidity in dry heat
- Create cooler microclimates
Yet urban expansion has systematically erased these features.
Across major cities:
- Thousands of lakes have been drained or built over
- Wetlands have disappeared
- Floodplains have been encroached upon
The consequence is profound. Without water bodies, cities lose their natural ability to regulate heat, turning into dry, overheated landscapes .
Consider this:
Would Melbourne feel the same without its rivers, parks, and coastal breezes?
Cities Warming Faster Than the Countryside
Urban areas in India are warming 45% faster than rural regions .
This means that a global temperature rise of 2°C could translate into 4°C within cities. That difference is not trivial—it can determine whether a place remains habitable.
Dense construction, reduced vegetation, and concentrated human activity create microclimates of extreme heat.
In essence, cities are not just experiencing climate change—they are accelerating it locally.
The Invisible Contributor: Waste Heat
Beyond environmental changes, human activity itself is heating cities.
Think about daily urban life:
- Vehicles idling in traffic
- Air conditioners expelling hot air
- Industrial processes generating heat
- Electricity production relying on fossil fuels
All of this contributes to waste heat—energy released into the environment that raises ambient temperatures.
Here’s the vicious cycle:
- Cities get hotter
- People use more air conditioning
- Air conditioning releases more heat
- Cities get even hotter
Breaking this cycle is one of the biggest challenges for urban planners.
Development vs Liveability: A Growing Tension
Infrastructure projects—metros, highways, flyovers—are often framed as signs of progress. But they frequently come at the cost of:
- Tree cover
- Water bodies
- Natural ventilation corridors
Large-scale developments across cities are leading to the removal of thousands, sometimes millions, of trees .
This raises an uncomfortable question:
What is the point of development if it makes cities uninhabitable?
Economic growth loses meaning if residents cannot comfortably live, work, or even step outdoors.
Who Suffers the Most?
Heat does not affect everyone equally.
The most vulnerable groups include:
- Outdoor workers (construction, traffic police)
- Residents of densely populated areas with little greenery
- Low-income communities without access to cooling
Research shows that areas with high density and low tree cover experience the worst heat conditions .
This turns heat into not just an environmental issue, but a social one.
Can This Be Reversed?
The situation may seem bleak, but it is not irreversible.
Cities can become more livable if they:
- Protect and expand tree cover
- Restore lakes and wetlands
- Adopt climate-sensitive building codes
- Design streets for people, not just vehicles
- Promote energy-efficient cooling
But perhaps the most important shift is philosophical:
Cities must prioritise human comfort over unchecked expansion.
A Question for the Future
Imagine living in a city where stepping outside feels like entering an oven. Where nights bring little relief. Where energy bills soar just to maintain basic comfort.
Now ask yourself:
Is this the future urban residents are willing to accept?
Indian cities are at a crossroads. The choices made today—about design, development, and environmental stewardship—will determine whether they remain vibrant centres of life or become cautionary tales of unsustainable growth.
The warning signs are already here. The question is whether they will be heeded.
This video was adapted from an original video by Faye D’Souza.
Watch the original here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=HgZMsZVFBf5dcrdl&v=OsF7ABFHsME&feature=youtu.be