In the informal settlements of India’s western Gujarat state, hundreds of roofs have been painted in a reflective, white coating over the last two months to try to keep their occupants cooler as the hottest time of year approaches.
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The effort, which involves 400 households in Ahmedabad, is part of a global scientific trial to study how indoor heat affects people’s health and economic outcomes in developing countries – and how “cool roofs” might help.
“Traditionally, home is where people have come to find shelter and respite against external elements,” said Aditi Bunker, an epidemiologist at the University of Heidelberg in Switzerland who is leading the project, supported by the UK-based Wellcome Trust.
“Now, we’re in this position where people are living in precarious housing conditions, where the thing that was supposed to be protecting them is actually increasing their exposure to heat.”
As climate change has made India’s summers more extreme, Ahmedabad has suffered temperatures in excess of 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent years.
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In the Vanzara Vas slum in the Narol area of the city, which has more than 2,000 dwellings, most of them airless, one-room homes, residents who are part of the project, such as Nehal Vijaybhai Bhil, already notice a difference.