Representative photo MUMBAI: An international report has found that while nine Indian cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, focus on immediate responses to heat waves, long-term interventions remain scarce and, where they exist, are inadequately targeted. "Without efficacious long-term strategies, India is likely to witness a higher number of heat-related fatalities due to more frequent, intense, and prolonged heat waves in forthcoming years," cautions the study, co-authored by scholars from Sustainable Futures Collaborative, King's College London, Harvard University, Princeton University, and University of California, Berkeley. Utilising climate models, the study identified nine cities — Bengaluru, Delhi, Faridabad, Gwalior, Kota, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mumbai and Surat — with populations exceeding 1 million (based on the 2011 Census) that are anticipated to experience the most substantial increases in hazardous heat index values, combining temperature and humidity, relative to their recent historical averages.
“Mumbai, with its 12.4 million population, is presently experiencing premature and extended heatwaves. Mumbai encounters elevated temperatures in summer and during the post-monsoon period due to heightened humidity.
Increased humidity amplifies the heat index value of a locality, potentially diminishing bodily resilience and ability to cope with extreme heat through perspiration. Maharashtra possesses a State Heat Action Plan (HAP), while heat-resilience in.