Cities lack long-term planning to fight heatwaves
Some cities that are most sensitive to future heatwaves are focusing mainly on short-term respite, according to Sustainable Futures Collaborative, a research organisation in New Delhi. Its report shows how nine major cities that account for over 11% of the national urban population—Bengaluru, Delhi, Faridabad, Gwalior, Kota, Ludhiana, Meerut, Mumbai, and Surat—are gearing up to face the heatwaves.
The report states that while all nine cities are taking immediate steps to address heatwaves, “long-term actions remain rare, and where they do exist, they are poorly targeted.” Without effective long-term strategies, India might confront several heat-related deaths due to frequent, intense and prolonged heatwaves.
These cities have taken short-term measures, such as ensuring access to drinking water, adjusting work schedules and increasing hospital capacity during heatwaves. They are led mainly by national and state disaster management and health authorities rather than city-level plans.
There are also no measures such as occupational cooling for workers, insurance for lost wages, improved fire management and power grid upgrades. Some efforts, such as tree planting and rooftop solar installations, do not benefit those who need them the most. Cities are treating the effects of heat rather than preventing them, the study says.
Source: Business Standard, Economic Times
Read more: Heat waves a real and present threat, Mumbai must speed up climate action
Heat Action Plans for Indian cities
In our cities, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) plans to draft 300 more heat action plans (HAPs), as this year’s heatwaves have hit cities sooner than expected. HAPs are standard operating procedures (SOPs) that can enable authorities to tackle heat-related impacts. The NDMA aims to reduce the effects on public health and infrastructure. The plans may include emergency response activities, long-term heat preparedness and cooling interventions.
By February end, temperatures had soared above 40°C in states like Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal, and Odisha. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), in the next four to five days, Northwest India is likely to see a rise of about 3–5°C in maximum temperatures.
However, the Earth Sciences Ministry told Parliament last year that the 15th Finance Commission did not expand the scope of disasters eligible for financial assistance. Hence, extreme heat is not yet considered a natural disaster or calamity deserving funds for assistance.
Source: Business Standard, Rediff.com
Delhi schemes take off
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) presented its final Delhi budget ahead of the April municipal elections. However, the session was disrupted by chaos and violence as various parties disputed the proposed allocation of ₹17,002.6 crore for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspected six major drains and announced that all the main drains would be cleaned before the monsoons. She identified a lack of coordination among various agencies as the primary reason for waterlogging. She added that a strict timeline had been set, while the Flood and Irrigation Department had been assigned a special responsibility to ensure timely desilting.
Meanwhile, the Public Works Department (PWD) formed a committee of nodal officers to study processes and called for tenders for road repair and strengthening, drainage management and desilting, among civic and development works.
Rations cards of about 1.9 lakh beneficiaries have been verified through e-KYC in Delhi, said sources. Duplicate and ineligible cardholders will be removed from taking advantage of subsidised food articles, especially families with an annual income of ₹1 lakh. Other related welfare schemes are the Mahila Samriddhi Scheme (₹2,500 per month for women), Ujjwala Yojana (free LPG connections) and Ayushman Bharat (health insurance coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family).
Source: Hindustan Times, Indian Express
Olive Ridley turtles retreat from Mumbai’s beaches
On March 16, 2.45 am, an Olive Ridley turtle came into Mumbai’s Juhu Beach, but got disturbed by visitors with flashlights and noise, and drove back into the sea. The significant moment when a turtle nesting could have been finalised was marred by urban sprawl, light pollution and crowded shores.
Olive Ridley turtle numbers have reduced on Mumbai’s coasts, although they were frequently spotted along the beaches in the 1980s and 1990s. Shaunak Modi, director of the Coastal Conservation Foundation (CCF), said that though they frequented the coasts, there wasn’t enough documentation. The last reported sightings were at Versova Beach in 2018.
Some reasons for their poor representation could be light disturbance, temperature, tidal inundation or the grain size of the sand, which could possibly make Mumbai unsuitable. Apart from the anthropogenic activity, a large number of fishing boats and the overall urbanscape also leads to crowding.
To avoid the crowding during sightings, the Mangrove Cell has strengthened its patrolling drive along the Juhu beach coast and attempts to hold awareness sessions among local residents through the Coastal Conservation Foundation (CCF).
Source: Mid-day, The Telegraph, Indian Express
Read More: How can Chennai protect Olive Ridley turtles?
QR codes in Chandigarh’s public toilets
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MC) has installed QR codes to improve the cleanliness and accessibility of more than 300 public and community toilets in markets, parks, green belts and residential colonies.
Public toilets are now marked on online maps for easy access. Many have QR codes, allowing users to report cleanliness issues, water shortages, or maintenance needs. Women’s toilets are equipped with sanitary pad incinerators, have green spaces around them, and include features to enhance air quality.
Municipal Commissioner Amit Kumar said that resident welfare groups, self-help groups and contractors are handling toilet management. A digital tracking system is in place to monitor cleaning staff and the municipal body is taking steps to provide fair wages to all workers.
Source: Hindustan Times, Indian Express
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]