Image Source: Deccan Chronicle
While record-breaking heatwaves are hitting Ahmedabad weeks in advance of the normal schedule, a special alliance between technology and public health is being implemented in the city's poor neighborhoods. Smartwatches and cool roof programs are being used in Vanzara Vas to track and counter the effects of extreme heat, offering both real-time health information and functional relief for Ahmedabad's most at-risk residents.
Key Points
Rising Temperatures and Early Heatwaves
Ahmedabad is experiencing extreme heat, with temperatures soaring to 43°C (109.4°F) in early April-three weeks earlier than usual.
Such high temperatures, once rare, have now become a regular and dangerous occurrence, pushing the city close to thresholds where prolonged exposure can be fatal.
Smartwatch Study in Vulnerable Communities
204 residents of Vanzara Vas, a low-income neighborhood comprising around 800 families, are taking part in a global year-long study on smartwatches.
The smartwatches monitor heart rate, pulse, and sleep, with participants also receiving weekly checks of blood pressure to observe the impact of heat on health.
The data will allow researchers to determine how hot weather impacts at-risk populations and inform future interventions.
Cool Roofs: Practical Relief
Researchers have painted some roofs with special reflective paint-called "cool roofs"-to lower indoor temperatures, which tend to be higher than outside heat in tin-roofed houses.
Indoor heat monitors are being used to compare cool roofs with the unpainted variety.
Residents are sleeping better and experiencing some relief from the heat after roof painting.
Health and Social Impact
Numerous residents, such as Sapnaben Chunara, spend much of their day outdoors in order to escape even hotter indoor temperatures.
The heat has made chronic health problems worse for others, including diabetes, and added to the daily struggle.
The research points out the "heat divide" between poor and rich communities, where the most disadvantaged are at the highest risk of increased temperatures.
Global and Local Significance
Ahmedabad's project is one of several global research initiatives looking at the effects of heat in other susceptible areas, including Africa, the Pacific, and Mexico.
The results might direct policy-making concerning climate adaptation as well as city planning, particularly for slum areas globally.
The capital's previous encounter with lethal heatwaves, which included the 1,300 excess deaths recorded in 2010, had already prompted them to come up with a heat action plan subsequently duplicated nationwide across India.
Sources Fast Company, Deccan Chronicle, Times Now News, Euronews, Yahoo News
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