Smartwatches and cool roofs help Indian neighborhoods battle deadly heat
As early, extreme heat grips Ahmedabad, India, residents of a low-income neighborhood are using smartwatches and reflective paint to measure and mitigate heat’s toll on their health.
Sibi Arasu reports for The Associated Press.
In short:
- Over 200 residents of Ahmedabad’s Vanzara Vas neighborhood are wearing smartwatches to track heart rate, pulse, and sleep, as part of a year-long study on heat impacts.
- Researchers have also painted some roofs with reflective paint to test its ability to lower indoor temperatures compared to homes without this modification.
- The study is part of a broader global project examining how extreme heat affects poor communities in India, Burkina Faso, Niue, and Mexico.
Key quote:
“Climate change and heat are ravaging populations. And now the question comes, what are we doing to address this?”
Aditi Bunker, environmental health researcher leading the global project
Why this matters:
As global temperatures rise, extreme heat has become an increasingly lethal threat, especially in regions where poverty limits access to cooling and health care. In cities like Ahmedabad, where summer temperatures now frequently exceed 40°C (104°F), vulnerable populations face life-threatening conditions both outdoors and inside poorly insulated homes. Smart technologies and adaptive infrastructure, like wearable health monitors and reflective roofing, offer critical data and modest relief. Yet they also reveal a growing “heat divide,” where wealthier populations can better shield themselves from climate change’s impacts while the poor bear the brunt. Scientists warn that without systemic adaptation and emission reductions, heat-related deaths could skyrocket.
Read more: Extreme heat arrives weeks early in India and Pakistan as climate change accelerates
