According to a comprehensive research study conducted by Dr. Firdaus Fatima Rizvi, Assistant Professor from the Dept. of Economic Studies and Policy of Central University of South Bihar (CUSB), Gaya city’s rapid urbanization has caused significant changes in its land use and land cover patterns, with direct consequences for land surface temperature, and urban environment. CUSB Public Relation Officer (PRO) Mohammad Mudassir Alam said that the research conducted by Dr. Rizvi along with Alok Kumar Dubey, Dept. of Development Studies, CUSB and Akash Tiwari Ph.D. from Dept. of Geography, Central University of Haryana, is recently published in the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, a Q1 journal indexed in Scopus/Web of Science.

The research team analysed data through GIS and remote sensing techniques from the year 2006 to 2022. The authors employ advanced spectral indices to investigate the correlation between changing land cover types and rising land surface temperatures. This research provides a micro-level portrait of thermal implications and vulnerability among 182 villages situated within a 5 km buffer around Gaya’s city boundary. CUSB Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kameshwar Nath Singh, Registrar Prof. Narendra Kumar Rana and other faculty members have congratulated the research team for this important finding. The research by Rizvi, Dubey, and Tiwari serves as a vital evidence base for policymakers, urban planners, and the broader community, said the Vice-Chancellor.

Providing details Dr. Rizvi said that the land surface temperature has increased over the period of time because agricultural land has vanished within the city boundaries, often replaced by poor vegetation, built-up infrastructure, or sandy terrain. Poor vegetation declined due to urban sprawl, mining, and extraction, however against this, agricultural expansion took place in the buffer zone. The increment in built-up and sandy areas in Gaya results in a mean land surface temperature rise of more than 9°C. Moreover, the study reveals that sandy areas dominated by the dry Falgu riverbed are the hottest zones, even warmer than built-up urban spaces. Areas with healthy vegetation and water bodies consistently recorded the lowest mean temperatures.

This underscores the critical role of green cover and aquatic ecosystems in regulating urban microclimates and mitigating heat extremes. The findings highlight the climate change dimensions of urban growth. Rising land surface temperature in Gaya mirrors a larger pattern of global warming and regional climatic shifts. Increasing surface temperatures amplify heat stress, alter rainfall patterns, and reduce soil moisture levels, directly affecting environmental sustainability. The research demonstrates that climate change adaptation and sustainable development in Indian cities must prioritize the protection of agricultural land, vegetative cover, and water resources to preserve ecological balance and public health. The study is an urgent call to action for urban India.