Maharashtra Expands Climate Resilience Plan With UNEP to Tackle Urban Heat
Mumbai: As Mumbai and several parts of Maharashtra grapple with intense heat and rising humidity, the state government has stepped up a climate change resilience initiative in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The environment department has asked the Urban Development Department (UDD-I) to amend the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) by incorporating passive cooling measures, officials said. He also instructed the education department to implement a green school plan that promotes passive cooling solutions in school buildings.
This development comes a few months after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between UNEP and the Maharashtra Department of Environment and Climate Change in August 2025 to address the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. The partnership aims to transform Maharashtra into a resilient, future-ready and sustainable state through scientific planning and climate-smart urban development.
The environment department’s initiative is part of UNEP’s “BeCool Programme”, which focuses on reducing urban heat through passive cooling measures, heat-resistant and nature-based solutions at the state, district, region, city, neighborhood and building level, officials said.
A proposal has been prepared to reduce urban heat by adopting climate-friendly construction practices and using the world’s best technology in construction, a senior official said. “The environment department is expected to submit its proposal to UDD-I for amendments in the UDCPR and building regulations by adding provisions for passive cooling measures at the building and site level. Under this, design and material specification suggestions are proposed,” the senior official said.
The urgency of the Becool Program has become more apparent amid ongoing scorching heat conditions in Mumbai and other cities, where rising temperatures, heat-trapping concrete infrastructure and shrinking green cover are worsening the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect.
Under the programme, UNEP began working with numerous departments and urban agencies to redesign cities, buildings and public infrastructure for cooler and healthier living conditions.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) supported cities participating in the Beat the Heat program and was guided by UNEP in preparing UHI impact maps to identify hotspots for targeted interventions, officials said. SDMA also facilitates access to funds for mapping studies and demonstration pilot projects. “SDMA and the environment department have started preparation of UHI impact mapping for 30 cities enrolled in UNEP’s Beat the Heat programme,” officials said.
According to officials, three cities – Kalyan-Dombivli, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur – have been identified as “deep dive” cities for heat mitigation planning based on heat sensitivity assessments by SDMA.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has also been asked to prepare Standard Operating Rates (SOR) and material specifications to support passive cooling in public buildings, officials said.
At a time when temperatures are soaring in Mumbai and other cities, Maharashtra’s Department of Environment and Climate Change-UNEP collaboration is seen as one of the state’s most comprehensive efforts to build climate-resilient cities that can withstand future extreme temperatures, officials claimed.
