The summer heat is here, but Thane has a plan this year
7 take-aways from TMC's first ever Heat Action Plan
I was born in Thane, a suburb of Mumbai. It’s the city I grew up in, forms the backdrop for most of my childhood memories and holds a special place in my heart. And while some things haven’t changed - like the vada pav at Gajanan and the misal at Mamledar - and thank God for them, in a lot of ways the city is quite different from the one I went to school in.
For one, it has exploded in the last two decades. It is one of the fastest growing cities in India and is currently the third most populous city in Maharashtra. And this shows in the spate of new residential buildings, shiny restaurants and cute cafes popping and the relentless traffic. I am sure many of you are still reeling from the trauma of the traffic jam at Kopri bridge before it got revamped.
The development hasn’t come without a cost to our environment. We have all seen the disappearance of green spaces, deterioration of air quality, and felt the summers getting harsher.
The high temperatures are more than just an inconvenience. Heat is often described as the ‘silent killer’ and rightly so. Extreme heat can be fatal. Heat strokes are a major risk, particularly to vulnerable populations (children, senior citizens, people with cardiovascualar diseases). You may remember the incident where 13 people died of a heatstroke in Navi Mumbai last April after attending an award ceremony in an outdoor space. A Taylor Swift fan died of a heatstroke while waiting to attend her concert in Rio! Heat is the leading cause of weather related mortalities in the US and Europe - more people die due to heat related illness than due to floods or hurricanes or forest fires (similar trends can be expected in other parts of the world, but data and reporting is currently inadequate).
So when I read that Thane had developed its first ever ‘Heat action plan’ I was glad that the city was getting serious about tackling this undeniable impact of climate change and also curious to know what the report said. I read the 120 page report (prepared by TMC and CEEW) and found some interesting data points and tips, so thought it’s something worth sharing with my fellow Thanekars. So here goes:
The report has defined a heat risk level for the parts of the city.
So now, we have a data backed view of which parts of the city are likely to be hotter and at higher risk from heat. Wagle estate and Mumbra are the highest heat risk zones.
What is heat risk and how is it measured?
Heat risk is an index calculated based on a combination of 3 factors - Hazards (possibility of a hazardous event like an extremely hot day happening), Exposure (the population of people who will be exposed to that event) and Vulnerability (how protected or vulnerable they are, measured through metrics like % of old people and children at higher risk, availability of health centers etc.)
Temperatures are rising everywhere, but coastal cities are at higher risk.
Yes, the whole world is getting hotter. 2023 was officially the hottest year on record. Cities face additional risk due to the Urban heat island effect (urban landscapes made up of concrete, cement, steel and bricks absorb more heat compared to natural landscapes with trees and soil cover) and the high density of people. In addition coastal areas face higher risk due to the humidity that can result in felt temperatures that are 3-4 degree C higher than dry temperatures. Thane is a coastal city and thus an area of high risk.
Significant increase in the frequency of very hot days and warm nights
Extremely hot days are those where the maximum temperature is greater than the 95th percentile of the baseline (calculated as an average of 1982 to 2011 temperatures for that month).
The frequency of extremely hot days as well as warm nights has been going up sharply from 1982 and the average future trend (2024 - 2040) is expected to be 3-4X that of the historical (1982-2023) average.
If you’re wondering why we are specifically talking about warm nights, warm nights can actually be more dangerous than hot days. Typically, we expect temperatures to drop at night and that allows the surroundings as well as the human body to cool down. When the night temperature does not drop sufficiently, the human body is not able to cool down resulting in a prolonged period of stress, continued dehydration, poor sleep quality and inadequate rest.
The ‘Felt temperatures’ have been getting worse for the same dry temperatures
‘Felt temperature’ is a term used to describe the temperature equivalent perceived by humans, caused by the combined effects of air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. You may have seen a ‘feels like’ on the weather widget in your phone.
In case of a coastal place like Thane, the relative humidity makes the felt temperature higher than the dry temperature (what will be shown in a regular thermometer). For instance, when the dry temperature reads 34°C with 50% relative humidity, the felt temperature is 38-39°C
And as you can see in the graph below the gap between the dry temperature and felt temperature has been increasing over the years, making the heat even more lethal.
The report has established temperature thresholds that can serve as an early warning system.
The weather widget on our phones should tell us the dry temperature for the day and the forecast for the weak. We can use these to plan our own activities to reduce exposure on days which should classify as an orange or red alert.
So what is TMC’s plan to tackle this heat?
The report has laid out a detailed plan that involves activities as well as stakeholders responsible for carrying them out. Highlights include:
Early warning system and communication: Announcing heatwaves (with orange and red alerts) based on the matrix defined above and ensuring that the information is disseminated to citizens.
SOP during heat waves:
Restrictions on public gatherings, especially in outdoor places. If there are some, ensuring they have adequate water, sheds and medical facilities
Preparing hospitals for heat wave related illnesses
Daily reporting of heat wave related mortality and morbidity
Ensuring supply of drinking water at vulnerable points
Training and public awareness: Communication campaigns to educate citizens about the dangers of a heatwave and what they can do to protect themselves and trainings for different stakeholders (e.g. ASHA workers, school teachers, relevant NGOs etc.)
R&D, monitoring and evaluation: Undertake research on the severity of heat related events and their impact, monitor the effectiveness of the planned responses and revise the responses as needed.
All this is fine, but what can I do? - Some things you can do to protect yourself from a heatwave
While, the TMC will do its bit, you can protect your loved ones and yourself by doing the following:
Stay hydrated
Stay covered. Protect yourself with a hat or an umbrella when out in the sun.
Block direct sunlight even when you are indoors
Avoid going outdoors between 12 noon and 4 pm
Avoid cooking between 12 noon and 4 pm
Avoid strenuous activity in the sun (like running, walking long distances)
Don’t leave kids and pets unattended in vehicles in the sub
Avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, sugary and fizzy drinks
Learn to identify if you or someone around you is suffering from a heat stroke. Symptoms of a heat stroke include:
Headache. Your head may throb.
High body temperature. A core body temperature of 104 F (40 deg C) or higher
Altered mental state or behavior. Confusion, agitation, slurred speech, irritability, seizures.
Nausea and vomiting. You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.
Flushed skin. Your skin may turn red as your body temperature increases.
Rapid breathing. Your breathing may become rapid and shallow.
Racing heart rate. Your pulse may significantly increase because heat stress places a tremendous burden on your heart to help cool your body.
Alteration in sweating. In heat stroke brought on by hot weather, your skin will feel hot and dry to the touch. However, in heatstroke brought on by strenuous exercise, your skin may feel dry or slightly moist.
First aid you can administer in case of a heat stroke:
Get the person into shade or indoors.
Remove excess clothing or loosen clothing.
Drink water to rehydrate
Cool the person with whatever means available — put in a cool tub of water or a cool shower, sponge with cool water, fan while misting with cool water, or place ice packs or cold, wet towels on the person's head, neck, and armpits.
Heatwaves will likely be a major risk for the city in the years to come and I am glad the city administration has started thinking about it. Most measures planned currently appear to be short term and reactive. They are aimed at reducing deaths and heat related illness and are critical to help us tide over the present situation. This is without doubt a great start, but we also need to think about long term actions that will improve the situation or at least prevent it from getting worse. This will mean being more thoughtful about development, preserving green spaces, restoring our water bodies, altering building codes to make them more environment friendly etc. Will write more about this in another post. Do subscribe to the newsletter to get future posts in your mail.
I’ve also written an explainer on why it’s getting so hot in the first place. Check it out here!
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Hey!Thanks for this.I live in Thane and all this is good information to know.
Your essay is very detailed and loaded with important facts
Hey this is too good. Thank you for detailing it in simple terms, putting up on Whatsapp status with credit to you