Smartwatches, white roofs help study heat stress in Ahmedabad’s low-income areas

With temperatures in Ahmedabad hitting 43°C in early April – three weeks earlier than usual – researchers have launched a year-long study in Vanzara Vas to track how heat levels affect vulnerable communities.

A total of 204 residents are using smartwatches to monitor heart rate, pulse, and sleep, alongside weekly blood pressure checks, aiming to generate data on how extreme heat impacts people living in informal housing, as per reports.

The study is co-led by Aditi Bunker, an epidemiologist at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, which includes an an international, interdisciplinary team replicating and extending the cool roofs project, according to the university website.

As part of the initiative, reflective white paint has been applied to rooftops of selected homes to evaluate the effectiveness of ‘cool roofs’ in reducing indoor temperatures. 

Heat sensors are reportedly installed in both treated and untreated homes are gathering comparative data. 

The Ahmedabad study is one of four sites involved in a global research effort focused on climate resilience in low-income regions. 

Similar heat-related health studies are underway in Burkina Faso, Mexico’s Sonoran desert, and the Pacific island of Niue. 

Bunker reportedly said that early results from the Burkina Faso trial showed a temperature drop between 1.2°C-1.7°C in tin and mud-roofed homes over two years, which led to lowered heart rates in the residents of these houses.

The project underscores growing concern for the people living in vulnerable conditions worldwide, where exposure to intensifying heatwaves poses a major public health risk.