While the effects of global warming are increasingly felt all over the world, the city of Ahmedabad appears to be particularly hit, with summers getting warmer with each passing year.
Being in Ahmedabad in the summer of 2024 feels like being trapped in a gigantic burning oven. The awful feeling now is scientifically substantiated. A study that analyzed the satellite data for 141 Indian cities found that Ahmedabad registered an increase of 1.6 degrees in nighttime temperature over the decade. Ahmedabad tops the list of cities in India when it comes to increases in nighttime temperature during the period from 2003 to 2020.
While the officials beat their chests about planting millions of trees, Ahmedabad in particular, and Gujarat in general are tuning into a furnace. Along with Ahmedabad, three other Gujarat cities—Rajkot, Vadodara, and Surat—figure in the list of 20 Indian cities registering the highest rise in nighttime temperature. More scarily, Ahmedabad (1.06) and Rajkot (0.94) find themselves placed higher than Delhi-NCR (0.90) on the list.
The urban planners need to address the issue as early as possible. Trapped inside an “urban heat island effect,” the rising temperatures are attributed to the high concentration of concrete and asphalt. Scientists point out that cities are around 60% warmer than the rural landscape.
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