Nagpur: With peak summer approaching, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation has stepped up its heat preparedness by partnering with International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST) to strengthen its heat action plan and develop a comprehensive Integrated Heat and Cooling Action Plan (IHCAP).The collaboration, announced at a high-level interdepartmental meeting chaired by municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar, aims to address the dual challenge of rising temperatures and increasing cooling demand in the city. The meeting brought together senior officials from key departments, including health, fire services, town planning, public health engineering, traffic police and social welfare, to chalk out both immediate and long-term strategies. Over the next two months, iFOREST will work closely with NMC to enhance the existing heat action plan prepared by the health department, with a focus on on-ground interventions to reduce heat risks during the ongoing summer. At the same time, the organisation will begin preparing Nagpur’s first Integrated Heat and Cooling Action Plan, which will offer a long-term, systemic roadmap to tackle extreme heat and manage rising cooling needs. Officials said the initiative will prioritise protection of vulnerable groups such as residents of informal settlements, outdoor workers, traffic personnel and low-income communities, who are most exposed to heat stress. “There is a need for scientifically designed interventions aligned with citizens’ needs to effectively tackle the city’s growing heat stress,” Itankar said, stressing the importance of coordinated action across departments. The three-year partnership will support not just planning but also implementation of IHCAP, enabling the city to build long-term resilience against extreme heat. The initiative is being undertaken under a memorandum of understanding between iFOREST and the Maharashtra govt’s environment and climate change department. With this move, Nagpur is positioning itself among the first cities in India to transition from a conventional heat action plan to an integrated framework that combines heat mitigation with sustainable cooling solutions.
