Beyond the thermometer: Ahmedabad uses cool roofs, misting bus stops & heat insurance for climate resilience

In Ahmedabad, the summer sun is not just intense, it’s relentless. Dina ben, catching some respite at the Sabarmati riverfront one evening, spoke for many: “Even if I run the fan for 24 hours, we don’t feel any relief.”

For residents like Dina ben, heat is more than a discomfort — it’s a daily threat. In a city where nearly 95 per cent of the land is heat-stressed, learning how to cope with rising temperatures has become a matter of life and death.

In 2010, Ahmedabad faced a deadly heatwave that claimed 1,344 lives. It was a turning point that led the city to implement India’s first Heat Action Plan (HAP) — a coordinated public health response to protect residents from extreme heat.

But more than a decade later, implementation remains challenging. Rising temperatures and a rapidly evolving urban landscape continue to test the city’s resilience.

Down To Earth (DTE) travelled to Ahmedabad to examine how authorities — and citizens — are adapting to the growing threat.

City in transformation

Between 1990 and 2019, Ahmedabad’s built-up area expanded by 130 per cent. As of 2025, nearly nine million people call the city home. The last decade's surface temperature trends analysed by the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reveal alarming heat exposure.

“Wherever temperatures crossed 45 degrees Celsius (°C) for six or more years, we defined those as ‘heat-stressed areas’. That’s now over 95 per cent of the city,” said Nimish Gupta, deputy programme manager, CSE.

One such heat-stressed area is Odhav in eastern Ahmedabad, where informal settlements sprawl under metal and tin-sheet roofs.

Informal workers in informal settlements

Once known as the 'Manchester of the East' for its booming textile mills, Ahmedabad's economy now leans heavily on its handicrafts sector — primarily powered by informal women workers. But rising heat is putting their livelihoods in jeopardy.

Sushma Mishra, a resident of Odhav, weaves handicrafts under a tin roof that turns her home into an oven. “Even with a fan, the house doesn’t cool. The sunlight falls directly on the walls,” said Sushma.

For many like her, incomes are modest — about Rs 400-500 a day — and air conditioning is a luxury. Even buying a fan is not always affordable.

Her neighbour Anita echoed this struggle: “What can I do? I just work on the sewing machine. If it gets too hot, I go outside for some air.”

Despite the difficult conditions, the women continue their work. But increasingly, they are also exploring new ways to protect themselves from the heat.

Adaptation measures

Mahila Housing Trust (MHT), headquartered in Ahmedabad, is an organisation focused on providing housing and community support to low-income women. They are leading multiple initiatives helping vulnerable women adapt to urban heat challenges in Ahmedabad.

Cool roofs are among the measures being implemented. These systems make use of reflective materials such as coatings of white reflective paint on the roofs. This helps deflect the sunlight falling on the houses, reducing the heat being transferred inside, thereby reducing indoor temperatures. 

Bhavna Maheriya, programme manager at MHT, highlighted their success, “The community gave a good response, and now the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has included this in the city’s Heat Action Plan.”

Another emerging solution is heat insurance, like the scheme being implemented by MHT. Designed as a parametric product, it triggers payouts automatically when temperatures cross certain thresholds.

“Our insurance is a parametric insurance, wherein the beneficiaries don’t need to submit any documents to make their claim. If the city temperature crosses the threshold for two consecutive days, then the women beneficiaries will automatically receive the payout in their bank accounts,” explained Bhavma.

In Ahmedabad, two thresholds have been set: 43.7°C and 44.1°C. Crossing the first triggers a Rs 750 payout; breaching the second adds Rs 1,250. With an annual premium of Rs 354, beneficiaries can receive up to Rs 2,000 in a year.

In May 2024, the lower threshold was breached on two consecutive days, activating payouts for the insured women.

Yet, for many, even Rs 354 is a stretch. The concept of heat insurance remains unfamiliar, making uptake slow.

To tackle this and raise community awareness, MHT has organised multiple sessions with these communities and introduced the idea of heat insurance through an interactive game. “Women usually want to buy gold and silver. But we show them the benefits of buying protection from heat,” said instructor Nirmala Solanki.

Another important intervention, led by MHT, is the Cool Bus Stop at Ahmedabad’s Lal Darwaza. It aims to provide shade and relief to commuters as they wait for buses in the blazing sun. In partnership with AMC, MHT has installed a high-pressure misting system at the bus stop. 

“Passengers waiting for buses at the cool bus stop experience a relief of minimum 4-7°C,” explained Deepika Vadgama, programme manager at MHT. “If it’s 45°C outside, you’ll feel only 38-39°C while waiting. And it automatically turns on daily at 11:30 am. For every 15 minutes of misting it will pause for 10 minutes before restarting, up till 5:30 pm.”

Learning from the past

Adaptation isn't new to Ahmedabad. The old city, designated as the first UNESCO World Heritage City, is filled with pols — traditional housing clusters built with narrow lanes, shaded courtyards and thick walls designed to reduce heat.

“The walls of these houses won’t heat up as much because they’re tightly packed,” said Sheetal Mistry, president of SEWA Abodana Mandli, a women’s handicrafts’ cooperative. Abodana members work out of one such structure, the 'SEWA ni Haveli', in Dhal ni Pol.

With high ceilings, natural ventilation and shaded walkways, areas such as Dhal ni Pol are a blueprint for urban resilience.

Blue spaces like Kankaria Lake, Vastrapur and the Sabarmati Riverfront remain vital for public relief. Every evening, families flock there to cool down. “At home, it feels like the house is undergoing combustion,” said Dina ben. “There’s no breeze in our congested neighbourhood, so I bring my children here.”

But for others, even this small relief is out of reach. Sushma, living farther from the riverfront, rarely makes the trip. For her, like so many others, the battle against rising heat continues — daily, quietly and often without relief.