Nepal, July 26 -- Like other South Asian cities, Kathmandu also grapples with the trilemma of rapid urbanisation, ever expanding and often unplanned grey infrastructure, and an increasingly challenging thermal environment for its dwellers.

With another Rs120 million intersection project planned, the inescapability of this crisis proves once more that infrastructure expansion without taking climate change into account may deepen the vicious cycle of poor urban planning and escalating heat stress.

Kathmandu Valley summers have become noticeably hotter in recent years. Although pre-monsoon precipitation plays a crucial role in determining the intensity of summer heat in a given year, it cannot reduce the temperature gap between Kathmandu'...