Supporting the Resilient Communities of the Urban Poor in India in their efforts of living in dignified and thermally comfortable homes.
PREMISE
Informal research studies of thermal conditions in Urban Slum dwellings in Mumbai and Pune have revealed roof temperatures in excess of 50 degree celcius even when air temperatures are a moderate 30 degree celcius. This leads to air temperatures inside informal dwellings to be too hot to inhabit during summers in India; the building structure often does not cool down adequately to enable comfort till about 11 pm or 12 midnight. Consequently, inhabitants of these structures suffer intense thermal stress which is compounded by lack of adequate rest and sleep since as they routinely spend time outdoors out of compulsion rather than attempt sleeping in a room where the air temperature borders 400C. The situation is profoundly unsettling when power cuts and the inability to operate fans during summer nights are accounted for; further aggravating the human misery. The proposed solution seeks to directly address this social inequity related to unacceptable energy access disparity and concomitantly mitigate potential greenhouse gas emissions from the legitimate cooling needs of this largely neglected rights-holders in urban societies
