This is Ms Krishna Pankajbhai Kavethiya and her two daughters. She works from home as a tailor to supplement her husband’s monthly earnings of around 15,000 rupees .
To survive these threats, cities must adapt. And the good news is that despite the gloomy predictions about the future, ordinary people, grassroots groups and governments are starting to act and in so doing, creating a safer future.“Grassroots is a critical ingredient for successful climate adaptation to happen,” said professor of urban climate at Singapore Management University Winston Chow.
This will increase the risks of heat stress and heat-related illnesses, such as heart disease, especially for the urban poor who must work outdoors and also cannot afford cooling appliances at their homes. Heat is already a top cause of death from natural disasters, such as heatwaves, in rich and poor nations.Densely packed cities also absorb the sun’s heat more, further pushing up temperatures. That is certainly the case with Ahmedabad, a city of eight million people in Gujarat state.
Scrap dealer Kalpesh Ashokbhai Chauhan, 25, often has to cycle a kilometre in summer for drinking water. A cold drinking water dispensing van from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation comes in handy for him and others to keep themselves cool. ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA The paint could prove to be a key option for the poor as summers in India become more brutal. The year 2023 ended as the second-warmest for India since record-keeping began in 1901.
Heat stress also reduces earnings. The latest Lancet Countdown on health and climate change estimates India lost 191 billion potential labour hours due to heat exposure in 2022. This potentially amounts to an income loss of US$219 billion in 2022, equivalent to 6.3 per cent of India’s gross domestic product.
Cold drinking water dispensing stations from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation are a simple but effective tool to help the city’s residents to keep themselves cool. ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA Sweltering Cities, an Australian not-for-profit formed in 2020, works with communities across Australia to advocate for community-based solutions to rising suburban temperatures. It has led a campaign for sheltered bus stops in western Sydney and is pushing for a ban on dark roofs, which cause hotter homes by trapping heat rather than reflecting it.