Assessment of Thermal Comfort and Heat Risk in Predominant Urban Heat Islands of Paschim Bardhaman District, West Bengal, India

The current study assesses the influence of land use changes in one of India’s most important metropolitan zones to understand better the relationship between land use practices and urbanization and the rising trend of land surface temperature. Quantify the geographical changes in land use land cover (LULC) and Urban Heat Island (UHI) of the Paschim Bardhaman for 30 years (1991-2021) using multi-temporal satellite and field data. RS data from 1991, 2001, 2011, and 2021 were used to derive land cover maps, analyze LST, develop danger maps, and use GIS to connect land cover change to LST. Between 1991 and 2021 the built-up area of Asansol increased by 29.5% replacing agricultural land and vegetation area. LST found in the study area is much more prominent in the core part of city than in the surrounding areas. Urban heat islands grew by 9.42% between 1991 and 2021. Between 1991 and 2021, ‘excellent’ ecological regions decreased by 4.49%, while ‘bad,’ ‘worse,’ and ‘worst’ areas increased by 10.84%, ‘good’ and ‘normal’ areas decreased by 6.61%. The outside parts of Asansol City, Raniganj, Andal, and Durgapur are more susceptible, accounting for 14.92% of the district. The core region of Asansol and Kulti, which has a large population density, faced high heat danger due to overcrowding, inadequate air circulation, and excessive traffic.