Mahila Housing Trust, an organization dedicated to helping women first, uses cool roof technology to escape the heat in Ahmedabad. This initiative has made more than 20,000 homes cooler and more comfortable during heat waves.
From FreeseJune 13, 2024Heat wave in India: A simple initiative to cool the house for 20,000 slum women”The heat is unbearable,” says Radha, who lives in Ignas Park in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. With heatwaves and temperatures constantly rising across the country, many others, like Radha, are suffering without adequate means of cooling. “With a high temperature, a large electric current is charged. Not a holiday,” he said.
In June 2024, the city experienced a heat wave when the temperature rose to 42 degrees Celsius. “Our house is in the corner of a very hot area, so we don’t know how to cool it,” she said.
A Financial Express report said, “India has had 16,344 heat wave events since March 1 this year, with 486 heat wave events expected on May 22 alone.” Another Bloomberg report said that in Ahmedabad alone, the city experienced 45 heatstrokes last summer, with no complete data on heat-related deaths.
Although home remedies such as vacuuming the curtains at their entrances and throwing water on the roof to cool them work, they are all temporary fixes.
Considering the situation carefully, Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) has come up with a simple solution to the problem of slum burning. Now, if you take a bird’s-eye view from the roofs of many of these houses in the suburbs of Ahmedabad, you will see that they are all painted white with solar reflective paint to keep them cool inside.
“The representative of MHT came to us and told us about the reflective white solar paint. We felt it was the right thing to do. After painting the roof white, we saw a significant increase in the temperature inside the house. Before, the heat was unbearable, but now it feels more comfortable,” says Radha.
“My mom stays home all day while I’m at work, so she’s better now,” he smiles.
Heat wave escape for party dwellers Bhavna Maherya, MHT program manager, shared the living conditions of slum dwellers. “Their main concern now is safety. Even though it’s 50 degrees outside and the government has issued a heat wave warning, they still have to go out and eat dinner at night. “Heat movement is the biggest problem,” he said.
Mahila Housing Trust helps women in slums lower the temperature of their homes. Mahila Housing Trust helps women in slums lower the temperature of their homes.
If the temperature is too high, the room will also be hot, and due to the lack of proper ventilation, it will be hotter than outside. “If they can’t take care of themselves, it’s our responsibility to do it for them. “Trust works in different areas, and this is one of the initiatives we’re taking,” he said.
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The project started as an experiment in 2016, when the trust was looking for a cheap and innovative way to reduce heat. “For almost 30 years, the dry season has been affected by pollution, climate change, etc. work in various fields such as In 2010, we started working for efficient energy, and we provide legal electricity to most of the villagers in Ahmedabad,” he said.
“They used to buy electricity illegally from other people’s poles or connections, paying a small amount. It is illegal and very dangerous. However, when people switch to legitimate connections and authorized counters, payments start flowing. “Many people complain about high electricity,” said the MHT team, which inspected the homes of these people and found that they were using 100-watt bulbs.
“In a small house with one or two bedrooms, high payments are impossible. We found that the house does not have proper ventilation due to the common wall. “One room has a kitchen, which also contributes to increasing the warmth inside the house,” he said.To avoid the heat, people run fans and refrigerators at full speed all day, racking up their bills. “That’s when we realized that changing the light bulb wouldn’t solve the problem. We need a heat action plan,” he said.
UV-reflective paint not only lowers the temperature but also lowers electricity consumption due to less use. UV-reflective paint not only reduces air but also reduces electric current.
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