Ludhiana: This industrial city has been selected for a central climate pilot project worth ₹5 crore to combat the rising threat of the urban heat island (UHI) effect.Ludhiana is one of 12 major urban centres chosen under the central govt’s AMRUT 2.0 reforms aimed at reshaping rapidly growing cities into heat-resilient, climate-responsive zones. The UHI effect occurs when metropolitan areas become significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas because concrete, asphalt, buildings, and vehicles trap solar heat.The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) will steer the initiative, deploying expert teams and volunteer organisations to conduct a comprehensive heat assessment study across the city. Municipal corporation officials met at their Zone-D office on Wednesday to begin mapping Ludhiana’s highest-temperature hotspots using satellite imagery, drone footage, and ground sensors.The central funding will target low-cost, high-durability infrastructure upgrades, municipal commissioner Ojaswi Alankar said.Key interventions include retrofitting public buildings with reflective “cool roofs,” planting urban forests on vacant govt land, and mandating heat-safe construction standards for schools, parks, and marketplaces.Municipal planners will also establish a network of shaded cooling shelters, water stations, and green bus stops to protect outdoor labourers and vulnerable low-income communities during extreme summer heatwaves.The 11 other cities selected for the pilot programme are Bengaluru, Guwahati, Dehradun, Delhi, Jodhpur, Ghaziabad, Gwalior, Nashik, Gurugram, Vadodara, and Visakhapatnam.
