Urbanisation of India has picked rapid pace in the recent past.According to Census 2011, around 30% of India was urban.This figure could now stand somewhere between 50-60%. While we can ascertain the exact percentage when the decennial census is conducted in 2026, the rapid pace of urbanisation is already visible from Ministry of Urban Housing and Development’s data on development of new cluster towns.The pressure in the city spaces is now being shifted to the peripheries.The concretisation and it’s associated challenges in urbanisation has now percolated beyond the main city premises.Delhi now has an extended NCR( national capital region), Mumbai now has transitioned beyond to integrate NAVI Mumbai within it’s fold.

The expansion of urbanisation thus affects more people than it previously did. In summers, urban areas become the epicentre of heat and exhaustion. According to Lancet, 30% of the population of Indian cities suffer from heat related malaise during the oppressive summers.However, it also notes that such heat related phenomena can be averted through urban heat management. 

How Cool Roofs help in Urban Heat Management? 

• Thermal comfort: 

As mentioned earlier, urban spaces are made up of concrete which absorbs heat.This heat absorption exacerbates the surrounding temperatures, causing great discomfort to the occupants. This phenomenon is called the Urban Heat Island effect. Urban spaces resemble islands of heat, trapped within it’s neighbourhood, while the surrounding non urban areas remain relatively cooler. Cool roof paints reflect upto 85-90% of the incoming solar rays, increasing the albedo or reflectivity of the concrete surface. This also lead to higher thermal emittance ( capacity to lose heat)  of these surfaces. 

It’s application is ideal to decrease indoor temperatures by 5-8 degrees in urban spaces.

• Energy Savings: 

The cost of living in urban areas is definitely among the biggest concerns for it’s residents.Cool roof paints is a harbinger of savings and economical way of life. By reflecting more heat, cool roof paints decrease the peak energy demand during summers. The Air conditioner,which previously required 8 hours to operate on an average can provide the same effect by only 6 hours of operation.This can lead to upto 30% of savings on electricity bills which can be utilised for more important expenditures like health and education. 

• Environmental sustainability: 

Urban spaces, being the engines of economic activity are often more damaging to the environment.But at the same time, it’s the urban residents who face the deleterious effects of such pollution the most. Living with this reality can be challenging in urban areas. Cool Roof paints by decreasing energy demand can simultaneously cut fossil fuel consumption. India’s electricity production is thermal energy dominant, with 70% reliance and a little over 28% on renewables. Thermal energy entails burning of fossil fuels( primarily coal) which in turn releases green house gases into the atmosphere, causing heating and pollution. Cool roofs aim to prevent this.

• Multifarious effects

When cool roofs are applied over large areas in urban spaces, it has a combined effect. When a large locality adopts cool roof, the surrounding temperatures of the entire area decreases by 5-8 degrees. This has a combined effect on the overall climate of the urban area. 

Recognising Cool Roofs efficacy, governments around the world have adopted it in it’s urban management 

• California, United States: Cool Roofs are an integral part of the city’s skyline with more than 10,000 structures painted with these paints to avoid the temperature rise in summers 

• Ahmedabad, India: Cool roof policy has been implemented as a part of the city’s Heat Action Plan since 2016.

• Paris , France: Cool Roof France is a flagship project of the French government aimed at reducing urban temperatures.

In many Indian states, like Telengana and Kerala, Cool Roof Policy has been mandated through legislation.

It is beyond any reasonable doubt that the future of urban management must integrate cool roof plans for sustainability, adaptivity and resilience against the rising heat due to climate change