New Delhi, March 6 The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has awarded a research project worth ₹47.46 lakh to Atiqur Rahman, head of the Department of Geography at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), to study the role of natural landscapes in mitigating rising urban temperatures.
The project, titled '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 the east, Bengaluru (temperate) in the south, and Udaipur (semi-arid) in the west.
An official said the project is significant because 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.
"Several cities in developing countries, as well as India, are witnessing elevated UHI effects, intensified heat stress, and severely exacerbating thermal discomfort, which increases heat risks and climate vulnerability, particularly for the low-income and marginalized population," the official said.
Rahman, the principal investigator of the project, specializes in urban environmental management, climate change, UHI, water resources, and disaster management, he said.
The main aim of the project is to study and qualify the role of water bodies and tree cover, which play an important role in mitigating UHI effects and heat stress, and function as nature-based solutions through evaporative cooling, shading effects, and maintaining surface energy balance, he said.