The city of Hyderabad has been found to have the least or to do the least when it comes to cooling during summers. While climate change is a reality, the city is now experiencing intense heat waves during summers that start right in March. A study titled ‘Extreme Heat and Covid 19 – The Impact on the Urban Poor’ has pointed out that Hyderabad is the worst among four cities when it comes to using cooling techniques to tackle excess heat.

The study also observed that the poor in Hyderabad might experience more heat stress as compared to the actual temperature due to a lack of access to a key cooling technique. The study says that it’s quite conspicuous that there is no concept of bathing or drinking cool drinks to handle the heat. Though the study’s data is not pertaining to this, the study remarks that this could be due to a lack of water supply in certain areas of the city.

Water helps cool the body, be it through taking a bath or through other means. Water scarcity leads to high vulnerability even when no heat wave is declared, says the study. Providing access to water is vital for basic health during the summer season, it was found. This, the study said, was applicable to both human and non-human life.