Addressing the Cooling Needs of Vulnerable Communities in Kerala

?By Shyny Sam, Dhilon Subramanian, Deepak Tewari and Sumedha Malaviya

In recent times, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has been regularly issuing heat wave warnings. This is a result of climate change, which has led to an increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of heat waves, and made life increasingly challenging for people. Like many other places in the country, Kerala has also started experiencing erratic weather including sweltering summer months and heat waves. This year, there has been a sudden rise in temperature and several regions of the state have recorded a heat index of more than 54 degrees Celsius. .??

These heat waves are more likely to affect vulnerable populations such as the elderly, young children, and people with chronic illnesses. Therefore, it is important to focus on the cooling needs of the vulnerable population to address the impacts of extreme heat and humidity. Studies show that exposure to heat can result in heat stroke, dehydration and exacerbation of existing health conditions.??

It is equally important to assess the conditions of the buildings where people live or spend a significant amount of time.?The majority of the population lives in houses that are not appropriately constructed to control the effects of extreme heat and humidity, nor do they have access to air-conditioning or other cooling solutions. This makes it difficult for the residents to perform their daily chores, especially during the hot summer months. Thus, it is critical to understand if there is any scope for improvement in the building conditions to ensure indoor thermal comfort and protect people from the harmful effects of heat waves.?

Stakeholder Consultation to Discuss Key Challenges and Priorities

WRII and TMC organized a stakeholder consultation workshop on 21 February 2023 in Trivandrum, Kerala to address the cooling needs of the vulnerable population. It was attended by state and local stakeholders representing key government departments such as Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment (LiFE) Mission, Kerala State Nirmithi Kendra, Energy Management Centre (EMC) Kerala, Town Planning Department, and other research organizations, academia, and civil society organizations. The workshop focused on understanding the challenges faced by vulnerable communities due to heat stress and identifying future actions to improve the thermal comfort of these communities.

During the discussion, Dr. Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose, Member Secretary, KSDMA highlighted that close-clustered housing is a major contributor to increased heat. Instead of interim solutions, redesigning the whole slum neighbourhood would provide a better housing solution to the marginalized community and avoid cluttered housing. Dr. Binu Francis, Secretary, TMC mentioned that clustered housing of the marginalised communities is mostly encroachments with no legal building permits. He also mentioned that while there is a demand for more Anganwadis in the state, however due to land constraints renting is the preferred route.

Mr. Kumara Swamy Pillai, Advisor, Kerala State Nirmithi Kendra pointed that low roof height also contributes to a lack of ventilation making heat stress unbearable. It was also mentioned that the use of paving material around the buildings lead to heat stress as well. Participants discussed that a behaviour change campaign/ awareness needs to be created on providing better facilities. It was also emphasized that cost-effective and eco-friendly solutions should be prioritized while developing a methodology for cooling for marginalized communities.

Way Forward

To mitigate the adverse effects of heat on vulnerable populations in cities, a combination of solutions that includes long-term, medium-term, and near-term strategies should be developed to achieve the desired results. It is also vital to expand the scope of heat action plans to implement cooling actions at an urban scale and within the built environment.

Further, the population living in informal houses is particularly susceptible to heat events. Simplified low-cost cooling solutions need to be developed to alleviate their suffering. Although the government may have challenges to plan interventions due to the illegal nature of these houses, the long-term goal should be to rehabilitate them in formal housing units that incorporate measures to reduce heat stress.

For Anganwadis, there is also a need to update design guidelines and propose retrofit measures to include shading, cross ventilation, and reflective roofing options among others to enhance the comfort conditions. As land shortage is forcing vertical development in the urban areas, multi-story structures can be experimented with where lower floors can be used for Anganwadis, and the top stories can be converted into storage spaces to prevent heat gain into habitable areas. For rental Anganwadis, prescribing minimal building standards need to be defined.

Lastly, as low-income households may not be able to afford air conditioners or ceiling fans, therefore, passive design measures must be incorporated into these houses to maintain thermal comfort without the need for active cooling systems.

Moving forward, mitigating the adverse effects of heat waves and creating a sustainable environment will require concerted efforts from policymakers, civil society, designers, and citizens.?It is imperative to prioritize cooling needs for vulnerable communities, design pilot programs, learn lessons from their implementation, and incorporate them into policymaking.