*IIT Kharagpur Researchers Develop a Novel Urban Heat–Pollution Index for Sustainable Cities and Health Assessment*
Kharagpur, India, 02 June 2026: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur have developed a first-of-its-kind scientific framework integrating urban heat and air pollution exposure into a single health-risk metric to support sustainable urban planning and climate-resilient city development.
The study, titled “An Integrated Heat and Pollution Index for Sustainable Urban Planning: Evidence from Delhi”, has been led by Prof. Jayanarayanan Kuttippurath and VK Patel from the Centre for Ocean, River, Atmosphere and Land Science (CORAL), IIT Kharagpur. The research introduces the Urban Heat and Pollution Index (UHPI), a pioneering framework that jointly assesses the combined impacts of multiple air pollutants and Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects on human health and urban sustainability.
Published in Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2026.101387), the study addresses a critical gap in conventional urban assessments, where air pollution and urban heat have largely been evaluated independently despite their interconnected impacts on urban population.
The study highlights that rapid urbanisation, increasing anthropogenic emissions, and warming climatic conditions are intensifying the interaction between heat and pollution in cities, creating compounded environmental stress and public health risks.
*“The newly developed UHPI framework offers a comprehensive and scalable scientific tool to identify urban hotspots vulnerable to simultaneous pollution and heat exposure, which was not done before, and therefore, the health risk was highly underestimated,” said Prof. Kutttippurath, the author of the study.*
Using Delhi as a case study, the research reveals significant spatial disparities in pollution–heat stress across the city. Densely urbanised and industrial regions, particularly central, eastern, and parts of northwestern Delhi, exhibit elevated UHPI values, indicating greater environmental stress and higher public health vulnerability. In contrast, greener and less densely built peripheral regions demonstrate relatively lower UHPI values and may offer more sustainable pathways for future urban expansion.
The study further demands the urgent need for integrated urban policy interventions such as expansion of green infrastructure, sustainable transportation systems, reduction of vehicular and industrial emissions, preservation of open spaces, enhancement of urban ventilation corridors, and adoption of climate-sensitive urban planning strategies. The researchers note that approaches focusing solely on either pollution or temperature may significantly underestimate cumulative urban exposure risks.
*“With growing global concerns over climate change, urban heat stress, and deteriorating air quality, the UHPI framework is expected to serve as an important decision-support tool for policymakers, public health authorities, urban planners, and environmental agencies worldwide” added, Prof. Kuttippurath*
The new UHPI framework is adaptable for cities across both developing and developed nations and has the potential to contribute significantly toward climate-resilient and sustainable urban futures
Pratik Dama
Public Relations Officer
IIT Kharagpur
