Ahmedabat Heat Action Plan - Low-cost cool roofs

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India · 2010 · Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), developed in collaboration with IIPHG, the Mahila Housing Trust and the NRDC

The Ahmedabad model has changed how cities approach extreme heat. Rather than treating heatwaves solely as emergencies, the programme established a permanent framework for managing urban heat risk through governance, public health, infrastructure, and community action. The initiative has: Reduced indoor heat exposure for thousands of vulnerable households. Improved living conditions in informal settlements. Reduced heat-related health risks. Increased awareness of climate adaptation at community level. Inspired heat action plans across India and internationally. Become a global reference for urban heat resilience policy. Its influence extends far beyond Ahmedabad itself, helping shape national and international approaches to heat adaptation.

Highlight

How a low-cost white roof strategy became the foundation of India's urban heat resilience movement.

Extended description

In 2010, Ahmedabad experienced one of the deadliest heatwaves in its history, resulting in more than 1,300 excess deaths. The event exposed a critical gap in urban preparedness and triggered the development of what would become South Asia's first comprehensive Heat Action Plan (HAP).

The Heat Action Plan combines four complementary pillars:

Initially focused on heat alerts, emergency response protocols, and public health measures, the programme evolved into a broader urban adaptation strategy. One of its most visible and effective components is the Cool Roofs Programme.

The intervention is remarkably simple: rooftops are coated with reflective materials such as limewash or specialised cool-roof paints that increase solar reflectance and reduce heat absorption.

The approach is particularly relevant in informal settlements, where metal and concrete roofs often trap extreme levels of heat, creating dangerous indoor temperatures during summer months.

Implementation has relied heavily on community participation, particularly through the work of Mahila Housing Trust, which has engaged local residents—especially women—in the deployment and maintenance of cool roofs in vulnerable neighbourhoods.

The Heat Action Plan also established formal coordination between the municipal government, the health sector, meteorological services, emergency management agencies and civil society organisations, ensuring that extreme heat is managed as a recurring public health risk rather than an exceptional event.

What makes Ahmedabad unique is that cool roofs are not treated as an isolated technological solution. They are embedded within a comprehensive governance framework that links public health, climate adaptation, early warning systems, community engagement, and urban planning.

The programme has become a reference point for cities worldwide seeking practical responses to rising temperatures.

It demonstrates that climate adaptation does not always require expensive infrastructure. Sometimes, one of the most effective interventions is also one of the simplest.

Perhaps its greatest achievement is not the roofs themselves, but the way the programme transformed urban heat into a measurable, manageable public policy issue.

The Ahmedabad model has since inspired heat action planning in more than 100 Indian cities and has become one of the most influential urban heat resilience frameworks globally.

Demonstrated metrics

Real impact

The Ahmedabad model has changed how cities approach extreme heat.

Rather than treating heatwaves solely as emergencies, the programme established a permanent framework for managing urban heat risk through governance, public health, infrastructure, and community action.

The initiative has:

Its influence extends far beyond Ahmedabad itself, helping shape national and international approaches to heat adaptation.

Implementation location & date

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

The programme emerged following the 2010 heatwave and has been progressively expanded throughout the 2010s and 2020s as part of the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan.

Similar cases elsewhere

Inspired or comparable initiatives include:

While many cities have adopted cool roofs, Ahmedabad remains the most influential example because of its integration into a comprehensive urban heat governance framework.

Sources