It’s just after 10 a.m., and the heat is already unbearable on the outskirts of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. Sapnaben Choonara, a 30-year-old mother of three, has just finished her morning chores. She seeks respite from the heat in whatsapp number list the shade of a neem tree,
Smartwatches are part a species that can withstand high temperatures and drought.
Choonara spends most of the day outside in Vanzara Was, a low-income neighborhood of about 800 families, because it’s even hotter inside her tin-roofed home.
Temperatures can be even hotter indoors
Especially when it hits more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) outside.
That used to be a rarity, but it’s now a relationships with influencers in your regular occurrence. And this year’s heatwave began three weeks earlier than in previous years, reaching 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 F) in early April.
“Sometimes it gets so hot that I can’t think clearly,” says Choonara, wearing a black smartwatch that contrasts sharply with her brightly coloured bangles and sari.
Choonara is one of 204 residents of
Vanzara Vas who have been given smartwatches as part of a year-long study to find out how heatwaves affect vulnerable communities around the world.
The watches measure heart rate and pulse, as well as track sleep, and participants have weekly blood pressure checks. The researchers have trust review also painted some roofs with reflective paint to reduce internal heat, and will compare them to homes without so-called cool roofs using internal heat sensors.
Along with the smartwatches Smartwatches are part
This will help them understand how cool roofs can help poor households cope with India’s scorching summers.
Choonara, whose home did not receive a cool roof, said she was happy to take part in the project by wearing the watch and is confident the results will help her family too.
“They could have painted my roof, too, and maybe they could have done something to help all of us in the area cope better with the heat,” Choonara said.