Leveraging GIS and Green Building Materials to Mitigate Urban Heat Waves and Advance SDGs

Abstract

Urban heatwaves are becoming increasingly challenging due to changes in environmental conditions. These in turn affect public health, energy use, and urban lifestyle. Remote sensing and GIS are robust in monitoring urban heat waves and analyzing their intensity, frequency, and distribution. The present study analyses the effect of urbanization on variations in temperature in Hyderabad and Warangal cities of Telangana, India, during the past 20 years/ two decades.  We examined temperature anomalies from 2001 to 2023 compared to the baseline period of 1981 and 2000 using GIS tools and manually gathered data. According to our data, Hyderabad and Warangal witnessed higher daytime temperature anomalies of 0.35°C and 0.30°C, respectively, while nighttime anomalies increased by 0.40°C and 0.35°C. In addition, there were five additional 90^th percentile heat days in Warangal and four more in Hyderabad, indicating an increase in severe heat waves.  According to land-use and land-cover research, urban areas in Hyderabad and Warangal increased by 13 and 11 times, correspondingly, between 2000 and 2020. These results emphasize the necessity of sustainable urban development to lessen the impact of UHI and future environmental impacts. By reducing the consequences of UHI and creating sustainable environments in cities, encouraging green construction may prove crucial to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).