![MHT aims to continue empowering women to ensure “their full and equal participation in shaping [the] growth of cities.”](https://www.thecooldown.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WcmXpb2R3iwA.jpg?w=1920&h=800)
Thousands of women in India are now staying safer and saving money during heat waves thanks to climate-resilient technology.
As detailed by Next City, the Mahila Housing Trust (MHT) has been helping lower-income groups make upgrades to the tin roofs of their homes — improvements that have cut some women's electric bills in half.
ModRoof, a waterproof and reusable system by MHT made from packaging and agricultural waste, lowered indoor temperatures of one woman's house by 11 degrees Fahrenheit, increasing her ability to work productively.
"There was a risk of heat-stroke earlier," said Meenaben Soni, who lives in an informal settlement in Ahmedabad. "My husband hasn't been admitted to the hospital after we installed the ModRoof. Our children can also study in comfort. The neighborhood's other children also come to our house to study. I can see our dreams slowly coming true."
MHT, which was founded in 1994 and operates in nine Indian states, has also helped women gain access to reflective paint, insulted ceilings, and solar systems, as well as provided education about the effects of changing global temperatures.
According to the World Bank, heat waves are projected to significantly impact India as our planet warms, with an estimated 160 to 200 million people being exposed to deadly temperatures every year by 2030.
Without adjustments, the report projects that "there will be a demand for a new air conditioner every 15 seconds," resulting in a 435% increase in the generation of planet-warming pollution over a 20-year span. People who can't afford the equipment will be most at risk.
"I need to work so my family can eat, but some days it's just too hot," Bhanu ben Jadav, who lives in the settlement of Vasant Nagar, told Time last summer.
MHT hopes to help break a potentially dangerous cycle, as one of its studies found that cool roofs reduce indoor temperatures by 3.6 to nine degrees Fahrenheit.
Back in 2013, several years after a lethal heat wave that disproportionately impacted women, the city of Ahmedabad began implementing a "Heat Action Plan" that enlisted the help of nonprofits like MHT.
Today, over 30,000 cooling roofs have been installed, and MHT aims to continue empowering women to ensure "their full and equal participation in shaping [the] growth of cities."
"Long-drawn climate change stresses are painful and have an inter-generational effect. When we involve women and adolescent girls, we can make sure that the work we do will benefit generations," MHT director Bijal Brahmbhatt told Next City.
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