The heat-stress mitigation initiative, implemented by the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) India with support from the Tata Trusts, is helping vulnerable urban communities adapt to rising temperatures.
Home is supposed to be a refuge from the world outside. In Shivshakti Nagar, Mira-Bhayandar, in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the world outside
became the refuge.
A resident of the community for over 25 years, Rita Kamble lived under a corrugated metal-sheet roof, like many families here. As the sun beat down on the tin roofs, the same homes that kept out the rain were now trapping heat, growing hotter with every passing hour until indoors became unbearable by afternoon. Tasks as ordinary as cooking, doing household chores, or even sitting still became physically draining, raising the risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion.
A resident of the community for over 25 years, Rita Kamble lived under a corrugated metal-sheet roof, like many families here. As the sun beat down on the tin roofs, the same homes that kept out the rain were now trapping heat, growing hotter with every passing hour until indoors became unbearable by afternoon. Tasks as ordinary as cooking, doing household chores, or even sitting still became physically draining, raising the risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Rita's experience reflects a growing reality across India's cities, where urban heat stress is emerging as a serious public health and livelihood concern. More than half of India's districts are now classified as high to very high risk from extreme heat. The burden falls hardest on those with the least room to escape it, particularly women shouldering the household workload, children whose bodies cannot regulate heat the way adults' can, and the elderly, for whom each summer is a health risk rather than a season.
It was into this reality that the AKAH India, supported by the Tata Trusts, introduced a community-led, heat-stress mitigation project.
The teams sat with residents and listened to what their summers actually looked like to design the intervention. The programme upgraded homes with
heat-reflective insulation layers such as aluminium foil and wood wool beneath existing tin roofs, improved ventilation through exhaust fans, and made
other minor modifications, helping keep homes cooler during the hottest months.
Rita became one of the programme's earliest champions. Convincing residents was not easy. Many were wary of a solution offered for free; others doubted it would work at all. To build confidence, Rita volunteered her own home as the programme's first demonstration site. The decision proved pivotal. As neighbours felt the difference for themselves, doubt gave way to demand, and what began in a handful of homes soon grew into a community-wide effort to help families cope with increasingly harsh summers.
For households that have completed the installation, the change is felt in the rhythm of everyday life. Viraj Vilas Parab, who has lived in the same house for 20 years, says, "Previously, when it used to get very hot, I couldn't do anything at all indoors. But this year, thanks to the installation, I've been studying right here in my home."
In the Shetty household, the impact is measured in both comfort and temperature. "If we were living solely under the metal roofing sheets, the temperature inside would be between 45°C and 48°C. But now, with the roof insulation in place, it stays between 30°C and 32°C. Whenever we come home from the scorching heat outside, stepping inside brings a real sense of relief" says Meghla Shetty.
Across Mira-Bhayandar's tin-roofed homes, the project demonstrates how simple, low-cost solutions can help vulnerable communities adapt to rising temperatures.
Rita became one of the programme's earliest champions. Convincing residents was not easy. Many were wary of a solution offered for free; others doubted it would work at all. To build confidence, Rita volunteered her own home as the programme's first demonstration site. The decision proved pivotal. As neighbours felt the difference for themselves, doubt gave way to demand, and what began in a handful of homes soon grew into a community-wide effort to help families cope with increasingly harsh summers.
For households that have completed the installation, the change is felt in the rhythm of everyday life. Viraj Vilas Parab, who has lived in the same house for 20 years, says, "Previously, when it used to get very hot, I couldn't do anything at all indoors. But this year, thanks to the installation, I've been studying right here in my home."
In the Shetty household, the impact is measured in both comfort and temperature. "If we were living solely under the metal roofing sheets, the temperature inside would be between 45°C and 48°C. But now, with the roof insulation in place, it stays between 30°C and 32°C. Whenever we come home from the scorching heat outside, stepping inside brings a real sense of relief" says Meghla Shetty.
Across Mira-Bhayandar's tin-roofed homes, the project demonstrates how simple, low-cost solutions can help vulnerable communities adapt to rising temperatures.
At the Tata Trusts, the intervention reflects a broader belief that climate resilience is
ultimately about equity, ensuring that those most exposed to extreme heat have the means
to adapt and live with dignity. For Rita, Viraj, and Meghla, the outcome is far simpler, a home
they no longer need to escape when summer arrives.
