Adilabad enters world’s hottest league as temps soar past 43°C

Hyderabad: Adilabad has emerged as one of the world's hottest cities, repeatedly featuring in the top 100 list compiled by Eldorado Weather, a US-based daily weather tracking platform. On Monday, the district recorded an average temperature of 43.3° Celsius, ranking 14th globally, just about 2°C lower than Akola in Maharashtra, which topped the chart at 45°C.Other Indian cities in the list include Wardha and Nagpur (Sonegaon) in Maharashtra, Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, underlining a broader heatwave pattern across central India.Experts say Adilabad's presence on the list is not unusual. Located in northern Telangana and bordering heat-prone Vidarbha, the district is directly exposed to dry, hot winds sweeping in from central India."These winds, along with low humidity, sparse vegetation and delayed pre-monsoon showers, are pushing temperatures higher," said Dharma Raju, scientist at the India Meteorological Department, Hyderabad.He explained that the region falls within a heat core area. "Northerly winds are prevailing and they are dry in nature. The absence of cloud cover and rainfall further intensifies the heat," he added.Environmental changes are compounding the problem. Telangana's forest cover has marginally declined from 18,561.98 square km in 2021 to 18,456.11 square km in 2023 with notable reductions in districts such as Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Kumuram Bheem Asifabad and Nirmal."Even small losses in green cover can reduce natural cooling and raise local temperatures. Combined with climate change, this is increasing both the frequency and intensity of heatwaves in the Adilabad region," said YV Rama Rao, senior weather researcher at the Telangana Development Planning Society. He noted that Talamadugu mandal in Adilabad recorded the district's highest temperature at 44.5°C on Monday, adding that unseasonal rainfall may bring a slight dip in temperatures.Urban pockets are facing an additional heat burden. Areas like Kothapet in city, which have intermittently appeared on the global list with temperatures between 39°C and 41°C, are seeing rising heat due to rapid urbanisation."The Kothapet belt, located along the Musi River, behaves like a basin. It traps and retains heat," said G Sailu, an urban biodiversity researcher. "Low groundwater levels worsen the situation, as groundwater helps regulate land surface temperatures," he said, noting that water levels in nearby areas had dropped to below 10 metres last May.He added that dense construction, traffic congestion and shrinking green spaces are disrupting the local microclimate.Experts caution that such extreme temperatures are part of a larger trend. "Climate change, coupled with rapid land-use changes, is increasing the likelihood of more districts like Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar and Medak regularly appearing among the world's hottest locations, especially during peak pre-monsoon months," said Anjal Prakash, researchers at the Bharti Institute of Public Policy, Indian School of Business.