India’s first ‘Cool Bus Stand’ in Ahmedabad: Comfort, but at what cost?

India’s first ‘Cool Bus Stand’ was recently unveiled at Lal Darwaja in Ahmedabad, aimed at providing comfort to passengers in the sweltering heat.

As part of the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan, the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS), in collaboration with the Mahila Housing Trust (MHT), launched the ‘Cool Bus Stand’ at Lal Darwaja, specifically at platform numbers 7 and 8, on March 18.

This bus stand, which is heavily exposed to direct sunlight and sees the maximum footfall of passengers daily, was chosen for the initiative. The structure features khus curtains (vetiver curtains) made from dried vetiver grass, which provide natural cooling by acting as a barrier to hot air.

Additionally, a high-pressure mist system with 22 nozzles disperses ultra-fine water droplets, absorbing ambient heat and lowering the surrounding temperature by 6 to 7°C.

However, this comfort comes at a significant cost. The bus depot used 30,000 litres of water per day earlier. However, after the installation of the mist system and coolers, the water usage has doubled to 60,000 litres. In a city facing extreme summer heat and impending water shortage, one must question whether this initiative is worth it.

According to Bharatbhai, the station incharge, they regularly use around 30,000 litres of water from their water tank and then additionally get 10 water tankers of 3,000 litres each throughout the day.

To put this into perspective, the amount of water used by the Lal Darwaja bus depot for this so-called ‘sustainable’ initiative per day is equivalent to what 400 urban households would need in the city, according to Jal Shakti reports.

It is also noteworthy that the mist system operates only from 12 noon to 5.30 pm, with intervals of 10 minutes. In a conversation with Gujarat Samachar Digital English, Bharatbhai mentioned, “It is very difficult to implement this pilot project at other bus stands due to several factors, including water resource issues and infrastructure challenges like electric power.”

Apart from these two platforms, all other bus platforms across the city are equipped with coolers and fans for passengers. The cooler, which operates throughout the day, uses around 1,000 to 3,000 litres of water daily – substantially less than the mist system.

While passengers have welcomed this initiative as a solution from the scorching heat and are eagerly waiting for this pilot project to be implemented at other bus stands as well, the high water consumption raises serious concerns about whether the city can afford comfort at such a significant environmental cost.