HYDERABAD: A study utilising geographic information systems (GIS) has highlighted alarming disparities in ventilation across Hyderabad due to rapid urban expansion and industrialisation, underscoring an urgent need for ventilation sensitive urban planning.
Between 1990 and 2020, Hyderabad’s built-up area surged from 13.7% to 51.8%, while severely ventilated zones surged from 0.7% to 31.6%, the study revealed. Poor ventilation zones were found to coincide with densely populated areas and marginalised communities. The research incorporates the ventilation index, a measure assessing the potential of the atmosphere to disperse pollutants and maintain air flow, which depends on wind speed and the mixing height.
Industrial growth, road density and lack of sanitation facilities strongly correlate with ventilation disparities, especially in northwest and eastern wards where wind potential is the lowest, the study said.
Slums and other areas in Santoshnagar, Karwan, Rajendranagar, Chandrayanagutta, Moosapet and Qutbullapur are some of the areas with more ventilation issues, followed by Mehidipatnam, Musheerabad and Amberpet. Begumpet, Charminar, and Uppal also face similar challenges.
‘Ventilation-sensitive urban planning need of the hour’
Published in the journal Physics and Chemistry of the Earth under the title “Utilising GIS for Studying Urban Entropy, Population Dynamics, and Ventilation Disparity: A Case Study of Changing Land Use, Land Cover, and Socially Vulnerable Hotspots in Hyderabad, India”, the study examines the connections between ventilation disparities, socio-economic inequalities, and industrial growth.
Socially vulnerable hotspots, including slums near industrial zones, were identified. These areas were marked by high concentrations of marginalised populations, such as Scheduled Caste communities, alongside substandard housing and lack of essential services such as toilets.
The results of the study stressed that socio-economic and housing disparities directly aggravate ventilation challenges.
The research, authored by Sandeep Budde from the University of Alberta, and Sandeep Agrawal and PS Chani from IIT Roorkee, called for ventilation-sensitive urban planning to address these inequities, suggesting the use of local climatic zoning and informed urban design to guide building densities and typologies.
They said the study provides a replicable methodology for other industrialised cities such as Mumbai and Delhi to tackle similar challenges.
