Operationalizing Adaptation for heat stress management in urban - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Operationalizing Adaptation for heat stress management in urban areas

Conserving Now, Preserving Future

10th November, 2017

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What is HI-AWARE? Five year research project under CARIAA Focus on South-Asia – (Hindu-Kush Himalayan Region)

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Why the HKH region?

• All of Asia likely to warm during

this century, with lock-in of 2o C global average temp rise.

• Warming in HKH mountains likely

to be around 3-4

• C by end of

century, well above global average.

• Winter precipitation is projected to

increase in Tibetan Plateau whereas summer monsoon is generally likely to increase in South Asia.

• Extreme rainfall as well as drought

events are likely to increase.

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Enhance the adaptive capacities and climate resilience of the vulnerable in the mountains and plains of the river basins of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, through the development of robust evidence to inform people-centred and gender sensitive climate change adaptation policies and practices.

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Pilots/experimentations

• HI-AWARE is developing robust evidence on adaptation innovations, measures and
• ptions to inform people-centred and gender sensitive adaptation policies and practices
• Under the Knowledge Generation Work Package, HI-AWARE is also testing adaptation

measures

• These issue specific interventions in the Indus, Ganga, Gandaki and Teesta river basins

are aimed at evaluating the viability and effectiveness of the intervention

• As part of this TERI is involved in two experimentation to test adaptation interventions;
• ne in New Delhi – on indoor heat stress management, and the other in Rudraprayag

(Uttarakhand) - Weather appropriate sustainable agriculture practices

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How did we go about with the study?

• Multifold research design
• Indoor loggers measuring temperatures (and humidity) every 10 minutes were

installed in 63 households – April through October

• Outdoor mobile measurement unit (car-top) was used to capture temperature and
• ther vital weather parameters weekly to understand heat stress in the transect

traversing through localities where the loggers were placed – April through September

• Apart from this we have also installed an AWS in Vasant Kunj to understand the

spatial temperature trends at a larger scale

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What did we learn?

Advised sleeping temperature - ~ 18.5oC (optimum temperature) and 26oC (Indian Meteorological Department) 29oC in Delhi during night indoors (HI-AWARE findings) 35oC and above observed in many instances during the night over the course of the six months (HI-AWARE findings)

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What is happening?

• A handful of actions witnessed across levels and jurisdictions
• Being carried out by the state, city administration and most of them are at an individual

level

• Example of coordinated effort to address the issue of heat stress can be found in the

Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan (HAP)

• HI-AWARE is experimenting with a more structural/hard intervention aimed at

alleviating indoor heat stress

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Testing modified roofs (ModRoofs – ReMaterials) as an adaptation measure for indoor heat exposure in low-income neighborhoods

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What are we doing?

The Modified Roofs, or simply ModRoofs, is an innovative solution that:

• is a modular roofing system (made out of agricultural and paper waste) for

low-income neighbourhoods using corrugated cement/metal sheets

• have a low thermal conductivity value, translating to reduced indoor

temperatures

• are easy to install, fire proof , movable and sustainable

Targeting the least opportune and most vulnerable

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• Implementing in low-income suburb
• Aim to understand the effectiveness of the roofing

structure in reducing both day-time and night-time temperatures.

• Indoor temperature loggers have been placed inside

these houses to continuously monitor the temperature trends.

• This is being contrasted with a control of 10 houses

having corrugated cement sheet roofs to understand the overall effectiveness of the measure.

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Implications for Policy and Practice

• Urban regions in India would only grow and sustain more lives and their livelihoods
• Along with this, heat stress/heat waves would also see a rise due to current global

emission pathways, exposing millions in India to the health implications

• Climate proofing existing and future infrastructure is essential to mitigate some

impacts from this rise

• Innovation for climate proofing in low cost housing has strong links with existing

macro urban policies, like Smart Cities and Housing for All schemes, and help mainstream heat stress management in urban areas

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@ COP23

For more information: www.hi-aware.org Contact: Ganesh Gorti, TERI Ganesh.Gorti@teri.res.in

Thanks

Supported by:

Design elements: Debabrat Sukla, ICIMOD