Sangeeta Ben, a 30-year-old stitching employee from Sadgurukrupa Slum in Ahmedabad, has lived within the space for eight years. She helps a household of ten, together with her in-laws and youngsters, with a modest family revenue of Rs 15,000 per thirty days. Her earnings largely depend upon her each day revenue of Rs 150 as a sewing machine operator.
In the course of the scorching summer time months, nevertheless, her productiveness and well-being are severely impacted by the extreme warmth and poor air flow in her two-room tin-sheet dwelling. Because the temperature continues to rise annually, Sangeeta finds it more and more insufferable. Whereas she recognises the advantages of air con, the excessive prices of set up and electrical energy make it an unattainable resolution for her household.
Sangeetaben’s expertise just isn’t distinctive. For hundreds of thousands residing in India’s casual settlements, the warmth is greater than discomfort—it’s a severe well being and livelihood risk. Tin and asbestos sheet roofs entice warmth, turning properties into furnaces. With local weather change intensifying heatwaves throughout India, low-income communities are on the frontlines of this disaster.
Why excessive warmth is a hidden disaster in India’s slums
Lengthy-term publicity to excessive indoor temperatures may cause heatstroke, fatigue, insomnia, and even hypertension. Analysis exhibits that tin and asbestos sheet roofs could make properties 4–6°C hotter than the outside—remodeling already-cramped properties into stifling ovens.. Analysis exhibits that such properties will be 4–6°C hotter than the encircling surroundings, posing extreme dangers to well being and productiveness. Girls, particularly those that work at home, are susceptible.
The Cool Roofs Programme – a easy but highly effective repair
As rising temperatures and heatwaves develop into extra frequent and intense throughout India, cities are turning to modern, low-cost options to guard susceptible communities. One such technique is the Cool Roofs Programme—a heat-mitigation initiative rolled out in states that face excessive summer time warmth.
As a part of the programme, rooftops are coated with a particular white paint manufactured from heat-reflective supplies like Titanium Oxide. The method entails totally cleansing the roof floor to take away dust and particles earlier than making use of the paint, permitting for optimum effectiveness.
In response to escalating heatwaves, a world trial of the Cool Roofs Programme is underway — India’s Ahmedabad stands out as one of many key pilot cities testing its impression firsthand.
This initiative explores not simply the temperature-lowering results of cool roofs, but in addition their broader social and environmental impression on residents. Early findings from the trial counsel a promising discount in indoor temperatures and potential enhancements in well being and residing circumstances.
“Photo voltaic Reflective White Paint just isn’t a traditional paint,” explains Dipika Vadgama, Programme Supervisor at Mahila Housing Belief. “Its specialised elements replicate daylight somewhat than absorbing it. When the solar rays hit the white floor, they shortly bounce again as an alternative of transferring warmth inside the home.”
Two coats of paint are to be utilized for higher outcomes.
“The applying course of have to be performed with precision,” notes Vadgama. “First, we apply one layer of paint and permit it to dry for two hours. Then, we apply a second layer—the primary coat vertically and the second horizontally—to make sure full protection and most reflective properties.”
This paint additionally occurs to be non-toxic attributable to its water-based and low VOC, indicating decrease gasoline emissions.
Analysis-backed outcomes present indoor temperatures drop by 3–6°C—remodeling properties and lengthening working hours, particularly for home-based ladies staff like Sangeeta.
“Our measurements present a exceptional temperature distinction of 3-6 levels after putting in cool roof know-how,” confirms Dipika.“This has dramatically improved the lives of home-based staff. Beforehand, ladies doing stitching work couldn’t stay indoors between 1 PM and 5 PM attributable to extreme warmth, forcing them to maneuver their machines exterior. Now they will work constantly inside their properties, extending their productive hours and rising their revenue.”
“Since we utilized the photo voltaic reflective white paint, the distinction in temperature indoors is exceptional. Earlier than, it was insufferable, and I needed to take breaks from my stitching to flee the warmth. Now, with a cooler indoors, I can work longer hours comfortably, proper right here in my dwelling. I’m trying ahead to making use of the paint once more subsequent summer time to take care of this snug surroundings for my work,” Sangeeta Ben informed The Higher India.
Saves power prices
Cool roofs additionally scale back using mechanical air con, leading to important financial savings in power prices, contemplating the rising demand for energy and the stress it exerts on the present energy infrastructure. Cool roofs are additionally a wonderful resolution for lowering the city warmth island impact, a phenomenon through which cities entice warmth and develop into excessively sizzling attributable to their concrete development.
Cool Roofs Programme in India
Roofs painted with white paint at the moment are turning into a standard sight in India.
Gujarat and Telangana have been the primary states in India to design and implement a pilot program for cool roofs. Ahmedabad Municipal Company and Hyderabad Municipal Company led the implementation in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, respectively.
The pilot was supported by the Pure Sources Protection (NRDC), a US-based environmental advocacy group, and Mahila Housing Belief (MHT), a grassroots NGO in India. This pilot achieved a discount of shut to three levels in indoor temperature of homes painted with photo voltaic reflective paint.
Later in 2021, a brand new pilot programme was initiated in 4 Indian cities: Jodhpur, Bhopal, Surat, and Ahmedabad. The initiative was as soon as once more supported by the Pure Sources Protection Council (NRDC) and the Mahila Housing Belief (MHT), each of which had beforehand collaborated on related efforts.
This pilot aimed to enhance thermal consolation and scale back power consumption in low-income households by easy, cost-effective interventions. One of many key parts concerned making use of photo voltaic reflective paint to the roofs of homes, which led to a noticeable discount in indoor temperatures, ranging between 2 to five levels Celsius, offering much-needed aid in the course of the sizzling months.
As well as, the programme additionally facilitated the alternative of standard incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs. This modification contributed to reducing electrical energy payments for collaborating households and selling long-term power conservation.
The white roofs served as a climate-resilient intervention and a strong outreach device to sensitise and have interaction communities. Since its launch, the programme has turned over 460 rooftops white—impacting almost 68,000 individuals throughout 4 cities with a easy coat of paint and a strong promise of aid.
Trial underway in Burkina Faso, Mexico, the South Pacific, and India
Two years later, in 2023, the UK-based Wellcome Belief launched a world scientific trial to guage the effectiveness of cool roofs in mitigating excessive warmth. This huge-scale research is being carried out throughout 4 nations—Burkina Faso, Mexico, the South Pacific, and India.
The main focus is on low-income areas, significantly properties with poor air flow and tin roofs, sometimes occupied by communities with restricted entry to important sources similar to electrical energy, clear water, and healthcare.
These properties are extremely susceptible to the hostile results of rising temperatures.
In India, the trial is presently underway within the Vanzara Vas slum, situated within the Narol space of Ahmedabad. As a part of the research, the roofs of 400 properties are being coated with white, solar-reflective paint.
Whereas the outcomes from India are nonetheless pending, preliminary findings from the trial in Burkina Faso are promising. Over a two-year interval, properties with tin roofs skilled a mean temperature discount of 1.7 levels Celsius.
The Ahmedabad leg of the trial is about to proceed for an additional yr, with researchers intently monitoring its long-term impression on indoor temperatures and total well-being.
“At Mahila Housing Belief, we’ve been addressing local weather change results since 2010,” explains Vadgama. “Our method focuses on 5 key stresses: air air pollution, water shortage, flooding, warmth stress, and vector-borne illnesses. Cool roof know-how is our main resolution for warmth stress, focusing on probably the most susceptible communities.” She emphasizes that these interventions are crucial for slum dwellings which might be “congested with restricted area” and sometimes lined with “structurally weak tin or asbestos cement sheets that soak up super warmth.”
What are a number of the challenges with implementing this programme?
Regardless of the confirmed advantages, a number of sensible challenges exist in implementation. Regardless of its promise, cool roof adoption faces roadblocks—from technical abilities and weak rooftops to deeper gender limitations.
“Girls are most affected by indoor warmth,” says Vadgama, “but they usually don’t management family budgets to approve utility prices—even once they see the worth.”
Structural considerations current one other barrier, particularly in casual settlements the place many roofs are ageing or rusty, creating uncertainty about whether or not the paint will adhere correctly.
An necessary gender dimension additionally impacts adoption charges. Girls expertise the best impression from excessive indoor warmth since they sometimes stay in these properties all through the day for home and livelihood actions but usually lack monetary decision-making authority inside households.
In lots of instances, ladies recognise the worth of cool roof know-how and even buy the paint however can’t safe approval for the extra utility bills. This gender dynamic considerably hampers adoption within the very households that might profit most from the know-how.
“For the Photo voltaic Reflective White Paint know-how to achieve its full potential, we have to handle two key challenges,” suggests Vadgama. “First is consciousness—many individuals merely don’t know this inexpensive resolution exists. Second is coverage integration. Each metropolis in Ahmedabad already has a warmth motion plan. These plans ought to be expanded to incorporate cool roof implementation at each residential and institutional ranges, protecting properties in addition to public services like healthcare facilities, Anganwadis, colleges, and transportation hubs. This complete method would considerably amplify our impression.”
Cool Bus Stops: One other innovation with potential to beat the warmth
One other modern initiative geared toward combating rising temperatures in Ahmedabad is the Cool Bus Cease mission. Launched on eighth March 2025, this pilot was launched at Lal Darwaja—a bustling native market space—by the Ahmedabad Municipal Company and Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS), with help from the Mahila Housing Belief (MHT). The purpose is to supply much-needed consolation and aid to each day commuters whereas they look forward to buses within the scorching warmth.
The Cool Bus Cease is designed utilizing climate-responsive supplies and instruments that assist create a considerably cooler micro-environment. On the coronary heart of this setup is an energy-efficient, high-pressure misting system. It releases ultra-fine mist particles that evaporate shortly, lowering the ambient temperature throughout the bus cease. This gives instant aid to ready passengers and introduces a extra humane and climate-conscious method to on a regular basis public infrastructure.
The innovation makes use of a high-pressure misting system that creates a cooling impact by evaporation. “The water is pumped out of the nozzle at a strain of 0.2 microns. The particle breaks at a strain of 5 to fifteen microns and creates fogging,” explains Dipika. She provides that the cool bus stops significantly profit “individuals like senior residents who’ve dehydration issues and each day wage staff who do quite a lot of bodily work. In the event that they get some consolation, it has a constructive impression on their physique and thoughts.”
The innovation makes use of much less power than conventional air cooling conditioners, which have options similar to timers and adjustable strain. It additionally ensures mud suppression and makes use of khus curtains to make sure pure cooling and act as a barrier between the new and funky air.
“The size of impression is exceptional,” notes Vadgama. “Over a single season, greater than 6 lakh commuters will profit from this cooling know-how. Once you calculate the price per individual served, it emerges as an exceptionally economical intervention for warmth mitigation in public areas.”
The impression of Cool Bus Stops has been super. The Cool Bus Cease persistently recorded temperatures 5–7 levels decrease than common bus stops. The very best temperature distinction of 6.8 levels was noticed on thirtieth March, showcasing substantial warmth mitigation.
“This shaded space will present cool air and convey aid to individuals in the course of the summer time. It can assist defend them from heatstroke and different heat-related sicknesses. I sincerely congratulate the AMC, AMTS, Mahila Housing Belief, and all the workforce for this initiative. I hope related know-how can be applied on different platforms sooner or later as nicely,” mentioned Shri Pratibhaben Jain, Mayor, Ahmedabad, on the launch of the Cool Bus Cease.
“That is very stress-free for the poor individuals like us. We’re mason labors, and utilizing this
bus-stop usually in the summertime. We’ve got by no means seen such a factor. This sort of facility is absolutely good for the individuals like us,” mentioned a lady each day wage labourer.
This primary-of-its-kind ‘Cool Bus Cease’ marks a big step in direction of local weather resilience in Ahmedabad. By enhancing consolation in public areas, this initiative units an instance for different cities in India to prioritise public well being and well-being within the face of rising temperatures.
On this column, TBI editorial brings you articles from consultants throughout India, tackling the challenges that matter most. These insightful items provide sensible options and encourage us to take proactive steps in addressing the problems we face in our communities and past.
Edited by Leila Badyari and Vidya Gowri Venkatesh
