Heat Action Plan Ahmedabad

Temperatures are rising worldwide and many cities are suffering from the increasing heat stress. Ahmedabad already responded back in 2013 by developing a Heat Action Plan. A peer-reviewed study has shown that since then around 1,190 deaths have been prevented each year. The HAP is based on four strategies: Building public awareness and community outreach, an early warning system and inter-agency coordination, capacity building among health care professionals and reducing heat exposure and promoting adaptive. A very simple but effective measure is to paint the roofs with white lime paint. The so-called “cool roofs” can bring down indoors temperature by 2 to 5 degrees. In 2020, 15,000 buildings in Ahmedabad are to be equipped with these roof coatings.