Environment · 16 Jul 2026

Urban Heat Island night-time sleep loss

With reference to the Climate Central study on climate change and sleep loss in Indian cities, consider the following statements:

  1. Chennai recorded the highest annual sleep loss among Indian metros studied, higher than both Mumbai and Kolkata.
  2. Bengaluru showed the highest proportional climate change footprint in its sleep loss among the Indian cities studied.
  3. India's existing Heat Action Plans are primarily built around night-time temperature thresholds rather than daytime heat index thresholds.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A1 only
B1 and 2 only
C2 and 3 only
D1, 2 and 3
This question is based on: The Hour India's Cities Can't Get Back
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 16 Jul 2026
About this question

Why in news

A new Climate Central study published on July 15, 2026 found that residents of India's largest cities are losing 65 to 93 hours of sleep annually due to rising night-time temperatures linked to the Urban Heat Island effect.

Why for UPSC

UPSC's 2024 GS3 question on urban flooding as a climate-induced disaster shows sustained interest in urban climate governance gaps; this question tests whether aspirants can correctly identify what Heat Action Plans actually track versus the gap the study exposes.

Prelims summary

Chennai (93 hours) tops India's night-time sleep loss data, with Bengaluru showing the highest proportional climate-change footprint; existing Heat Action Plans track only daytime heat, missing this night-time risk entirely.

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