Development of Urban Heat Island and Its Relation to Heat Waves

Abstract

Urbanisation is a process common in the today’s world where the shift from the agriculture-based economy to the tertiary sector-based economy has been in a rapid pace. The reason behind this is the development race. Rapid urbanisation is characterised growth of urban areas which change the environmental settings which results in some adversaries affecting human health. One such is the Urban Heat Island. This phenomenon results due to an increase in the number of concrete structures at the cost of depleting green cover. In this phenomenon, the temperature (both atmospheric and surface) of the urban areas remains higher than their surrounding rural areas. The effect of the Urban Heat Island is thermal discomfort felt by the urban people which even results in other medical conditions. The situation of Urban Heat Island is more intensified by another phenomenon, heat wave. It is a climatic condition of high to extreme temperature and occurs when temperature departs positively from the normal average maximum temperature. To be considered as a heat wave, the temperature has to depart from the daily maximum temperature by a definite threshold. The study area is Kota District of Rajasthan which is a heat wave prone region along with rapid urbanisation (one of four cities suggested by the Rajasthan Government for smart cities).