Mumbai’s Concrete Catastrophe: How Development is Heating Up the City

Mumbai, the bustling financial capital of India, is undergoing a rapid concretisation drive, transforming its urban landscape. While development is crucial, experts are raising serious concerns about its environmental repercussions. Professor Sachchida Nand Tripathi from IIT-Kanpur warns that this extensive use of concrete could significantly worsen environmental issues, particularly the urban heat island effect, threatening the city’s future liveability.

Professor Tripathi highlights a critical phenomenon: concrete and asphalt surfaces absorb and retain heat far more effectively than natural landscapes like soil and vegetation. This leads to the “urban heat island effect,” where metropolitan areas experience significantly higher temperatures than surrounding rural regions. In Mumbai’s context, the ever-expanding concrete footprint means more trapped heat, creating an uncomfortable and potentially hazardous environment for its millions of residents.

The ramifications extend beyond just discomfort. Higher ambient temperatures inevitably lead to an increased reliance on air conditioning. While offering immediate relief, this surge in AC usage demands more electricity, much of which is still generated from fossil fuels. Consequently, this drives up greenhouse gas emissions, creating a detrimental feedback loop: more concrete means more heat, more AC means more emissions, further intensifying climate change impacts. This cycle not only strains the city’s power infrastructure but also contributes globally to the very climate issues that manifest locally as extreme heat.

Mumbai’s concretisation, while a symbol of progress, presents a dual challenge of intensified urban heat and amplified climate change contributions. Professor Tripathi’s warning underscores the urgent need for a more sustainable urban planning approach that balances development with ecological preservation. Integrating green spaces, permeable surfaces, and reflective materials could be crucial steps to mitigate these escalating environmental threats and ensure a cooler, healthier future for Mumbai.