Before there were ACs, coolers and fans, Indians managed to cope with the summer heat by staying in sync with nature. They got up early, bathed in the ponds and rivers, worked in the fields and on other outdoor tasks such as fetching water and firewood, and retreated into shelters and the shade of trees as the day advanced. Houses were designed to withstand the weather by constructing thatched roofs and walls plastered with clay and cow-dung. There were step-wells sheltered from the Sun, and the palaces had depth and the breeze was funneled through thick walls to cool it down. The roofs were high and the walls were thick.
And, as evening approached, people came out again to get on with business, and the bazaars witnessed crowds of customers late into the night. There were troughs for animals to drink from at many spots in the towns and cities. And the clothing was suitable to the climate. This did not involve much of what is described as technology these days, but it was very scientific. And those who were not native to the country and melanin deficient fled to Shimla, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, etc.
Unfortunately, the fact that technology could provide a shield from the outside environment made people uncaring of this past wisdom. Architecture changed, taking for granted that cooling could be done by other means. Work times were altered regardless of the conditions outside. As a result, those who could not afford the new amenities were forced into changing their routines accordingly. Children are forced in hot weather to commute longer distances to school and return home when the Sun is at its zenith. Many government schools cannot provide the facilities needed to protect children from the heat. Even cold water is sometimes not available – clay pots can deliver but have long been discarded. In fact, why do schools function in the heart of what are becoming hotter summers?
Rather than taking shortcuts such as shutting down when the heat wave reaches its peak, why should not Indians return to some of the practices of the past that were sustainable and inexpensive? Also, counter the urban heat islands by developing parks, planting shady varieties of trees and constructing ponds and lakes, as was the case in the past. It will be many years before the reduction in human population, and ‘development’, will reach an environmentally stable level, thereby bringing down global warming. Till then, introduce the necessary lifestyle changes.
