India uses AI and satellites to map urban thermal vulnerabilities to the building level

“The more detailed the data, the more likely the response will be to be a target,” adds Krishna. Instead of general advice such as “drinking more water,” localized data may facilitate certain actions. Change market and factory times, deploy cost-effective heat shelters, and set up oral rehydration solutions stations in high-pitched, falling areas. “If you know who is the most vulnerable, you can act faster,” she adds.

But as Delhi spends another burning summer, it goes against the background of the rise Fever-related deaths Increased climate stress, many of the relief measures already promised by the government, such as placement 3,000 water coolers In public places, changing the timing of construction work, building daytime shelters for outdoor workers and homeless people –It’s not running yet.

This year, the heat is even more unbearable for Zubida. “My blood pressure drops and my headaches split,” she says. The frequent, prolonged blackouts in her neighborhood also mean that she has little rest at home. “We need a proper shelter and some shade to work underneath.”

Part of the problem is that the heat action plans are not legally binding, says Tamanna Dalal, a senior researcher at the New Delhi-based Sustainable Futures Collaborative, an environmental research organization. “Heat waves are not recognized as a nationally-specific disaster in most parts of India,” she explains. “At this point, only around eight states have officially declared heat waves as disasters. This means that local governments are not obligated to prioritize thermal action unless they obtain direct, prompt response guidelines between high levels and heat waves.”

The central government too I don’t recognize it A heat wave as a “notified” disaster means that financial aid cannot be generated under the national disaster management law.

As a result, no matter what measures are taken, they tend to be short-term and responsive. Temporary measures, such as school closures ordered by the education department and oral supply solutions that stockpile orders by the health department, are repeated every year. However, these measures do nothing to build structural resilience to help cities adapt to worsening thermal conditions.

Ultimately, it is to integrate heat with other policy goals, while building more thermally resistant cities that can be adapted and mitigated at the same time. As energy, water, job creation, and air quality, Khosla explains.

Some of the funding channels already exist. “We found that the 18 central sponsorship schemes have a direct connection to long-term solutions listed in HAPS, such as piped water supply, rooftop solar, and more,” Dalal says. However, many local officials don’t know that these resources are available. recently Correction India’s National Disaster Mitigation Fund is currently helping the state fund to fund heat-related actions, but awareness remains very low. India is still in the early stages of domestic heat planning, and massive capacity building is urgently needed to help implementers view fever as a chronic threat in the warming world.

“We’ll soon reach the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold, which will be irreversible,” says Dalal. Set to the Paris AgreementThe world is almost certain. “This will affect every aspect of our daily lives, and it will be important for the next few years to implement some of our long-term solutions.