Hot in the city: Rising night temperatures a potentially major health issue in Asian metropolises

BANGKOK: Prasert Saisamphan’s home used to be a breezy space, surrounded by trees. Now, the 65-year-old finds it hard to breathe, surrounded by confining concrete and the dust of a growing city.

Roads, buildings and other concrete urban infrastructure absorb solar radiation during the day and release it slowly at night, causing an increase in temperature. Vehicles add to the issue as well as the clearing of green spaces to make way for new construction. Bangkok is not alone in having to contend with the UHI problem - it is increasing in regularity and magnitude across Asian cities, as urban areas expand, green areas decrease and poor air ventilation stifles dense spaces.

“Nighttime is supposed to provide the body with a chance to recover and rest from the heat of the day, but ‘hot nights’ make the recovery and resting less effective,” said Dr Kevin Lau, a research assistant professor from the Institute of Future Cities at CUHK. Some of the solutions the Hong Kong researchers offer for their city include better urban planning and building design, taking into account increased ratios for green spaces, natural airflow and the shifting challenges of climate change.

The dense industrialised provinces around Bangkok are already recording UHI effects, as bad if not worse than the city proper, but there are still mitigation options if governments coordinate their efforts, according to Dr Arifwidodo. “At a city level, there has been very limited attention, especially from the provincial government because they think, from a health perspective, the number of people who die from heat stroke is relatively low,” he said.

Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)

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