Environment ministry awards Rs 47.46-lakh urban heat project to Jamia professor

NEW DELHI: (Mar 6) The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has awarded a Rs 47.46-lakh research project to the head of the Department of Geography at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Atiqur Rahman, to study the role of natural landscapes in mitigating rising urban temperatures.

The project -- 'Reduction of Heat due to the Presence of Water Bodies and Tree Cover’ -- will examine three Indian cities representing different climatic zones -- Kolkata (warm and humid) in east, Bengaluru (temperate) in south, and Udaipur (semi-arid) in west.

An official said the project is significant as urban areas are particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures due to the urban heat island (UHI) effect, wherein built-up surfaces, reduced vegetation cover, loss of water bodies, and altered surface energy balance amplify ambient temperature relative to surrounding rural areas.