Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district in the Bundelkhand region is emerging as one of thehottest places on Earth, with temperatures repeatedly crossing dangerous levels this summer. On May 19, Banda recorded a scorching 48.2 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest place in Asia. Just weeks earlier, on April 27, the district topped the world heat chart with 47.6 degrees Celsius.
Meteorologists and geologists say this is no longer just a seasonal weather event. Experts warn that environmental damage, shrinking green cover, riverbed mining, and rising concrete surfaces are turning Banda into a dangerous “heat island”.
Senior scientist at IMD Lucknow, Mohammad Danish, told TOI, “The impact is more intense in southern Uttar Pradesh because the western disturbances that bring a temporary change in weather to many parts of the state during the first 10 days of May had little impact on Bundelkhand.”
He added, “The hard and stony surface of the Bundelkhand region has further aggravated the situation. The exposed rocky terrain absorbs heat quickly under direct sunlight and releases it slowly, making districts like Banda prone to extreme temperatures.”
Experts say human activity has worsened the crisis significantly. Banda reportedly has only 3 percent green cover, far lower than neighbouring districts. Environmental experts also point to large-scale sand mining in the Ken river region, where thousands of trucks extract sand daily, damaging vegetation and natural cooling systems.
Geology professor Dhruv Sen Singh said, “Sand mining increases local temperature by removing vegetation, altering surface reflectivity, and disturbing hydrology, turning cooler areas into heat-absorbing zones.”
Experts have now called for urgent action, including reforestation, groundwater conservation, and stricter regulation of mining activities, warning that without intervention, extreme heat conditions in Banda could become even more severe in the coming years.
Sudhanshu Mishra is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Now. While his day-to-day work centres on news, his writing interests lie in the intersections of cu...View More
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