For a heat-resilient Telangana, state launches ‘cool roof’ policy

Hyderabad: Telangana has become the first state in India to launch a “cool roof policy” aimed at reducing heat retention and countering the urban heat island effect.

Municipal administration and urban development minister K.T. Rama Rao launched the policy which promotes the use of roofs that reflect incoming radiation back into the atmosphere and thereby reduce heat retention.

Speaking at the launch, KTR said the policy will help make Telangana “more thermally comfortable and heat resilient” and added that the long-term objectives would be of use to future generations.

The policy aims to introduce cost-effective and climate-friendly cooling solutions to counter the urban heat island effect in Telangana, which is the third most urbanised state in India with almost 50% of the population residing in urban areas. The state government plans to bring 200 sq km in Hyderabad and 100 sq km in the rest of the state under cool roofing by 2030.

KTR explained that cool roofing can be implemented by using paints, tiles, or other materials to reflect sunlight and that it can be retrofitted in existing buildings. He urged builders and individuals who construct buildings to take up the initiative, adding that people can recover their investment in cool roofing within two years, in the form of energy savings and other benefits.

The Telangana government has previously implemented Haritha Haaram, encouraged the usage of energy-efficient machines and systems, and was the first state to adopt the Energy Conservation Building Code in 2014. The minister also spoke to officials about incentivising urban farming and rooftop kitchens.