Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai Rank High in Heat Risk

A University of Oxford study released on 10 June 2026 placed Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai among the world’s top 50 urban centres facing significant heat risk. The study assessed heat risk using hazard exposure, population vulnerability and coping capacity, and it was published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Societies.

Heat-Risk Assessment Framework

Heat-risk studies usually combine three variables: exposure to high temperatures, vulnerability of residents, and the capacity of a city to respond. Urban heat risk is often measured through indicators such as temperature extremes, population density, housing conditions, access to cooling, and public health stress.

Indian Cities in the Oxford Ranking

Hyderabad was placed among the world’s 30 most heat-vulnerable cities with an overall heat-risk score of 0.68. Mumbai was ranked 46th globally with a score of 0.63, while Bengaluru and Chennai were also included in the top 50 with scores of 0.69 and 0.64 respectively. The study identified 14 Indian cities among the world’s top 50 urban centres facing significant heat risk.

Heat Exposure and Urban Warming

Hyderabad recorded at least 47 days above 40°C between 1 April and 5 June 2026, which was its highest count in a decade. A March 2026 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by the University of East Anglia found that urban areas in India may warm about 45% more than surrounding rural regions. A 2025 paper in Nature Cities recorded an urban warming trend of 0.53°C per decade, compared with the national average of 0.26°C per decade.

Important Facts for Exams

• The University of Oxford is a public research university in the United Kingdom, founded in the 12th century.
• Sustainable Cities and Societies is a peer-reviewed journal that covers urban sustainability and climate-related city studies.
• The Council on Energy, Environment and Water is a New Delhi-based policy research organisation in India.
• Extreme heat is classified as a climate hazard in urban risk assessment frameworks used in public health and planning.

Indian Heat-Risk Context

The Council on Energy, Environment and Water stated in June 2026 that over 76% of India’s population faces high to very high risk from extreme heat. The 2025 climate risk report by Ecodiscussion listed Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad among the Indian cities facing threats from heat, floods and sea-level rise.