The Heat Mitigation Project aims to understand and reduce the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable communities in Mumbai through data-driven interventions and community-based solutions. The project is being implemented with the support of GATES Foundation and focuses on assessing indoor heat exposure in informal settlements and testing practical heat-resilient technologies at the household level.
The project is being implemented across selected households in M-East Ward, and L Ward of Mumbai.
A.Roundtable on Dissemination of Heat–Health Guidelines for Vulnerable Communities in Mumbai
On 20th February 2026, Mumbai First convened a focused roundtable on Dissemination of Heat-Health Guidelines for Vulnerable Communities in Mumbai bringing together municipal officials, researchers, and practitioners to discuss proposed heat-health guidelines and develop subsequent community-level dissemination strategies among informal settlements in K East, M east and L ward of Mumbai.
B.Technical Workshop on Affordable Heat Resilient Housing Solutions
Recognising the urgent need to address heat stress in informal settlements, Mumbai First, with support from the Gates Foundation, launched a project focused on advancing heat mitigation efforts in Mumbai.
As part of this initiative, a “Technical Workshop on Building Climate-Resilient Communities: Exploring Affordable Heat-Resilient Housing Solutions for Slum Communities in Mumbai” was organised to discuss practical and scalable approaches for strengthening climate resilience in vulnerable communities bringing together private companies, architects, and NGOs working on climate-responsive housing and sustainable construction solutions
C.On-Ground Dissemination of Heat-Health Advisories through Pamphlets & Street Plays
Subsequent to the roundtable discussion and technical workshop organized between Februrary and April, a set of Heat-Health Guidelines were developed with the support of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). The guidelines were designed to be technically sound while remaining simple, practical, and accessible for community use, particularly within vulnerable and informal settlements.
2 Nukkad Natak (street theatre) sessions were also conducted to communicate key heat-health messages in a simple, engaging, and culturally relevant manner
D.Selection of Households for Retrofitting
In the aftermath of the technical workshop, conducted in April 2026, Mumbai First brought together technical experts working in climate-resilient housing and urban resilience & enabled the identification of practical and affordable retrofitting options suitable for dense informal settlements.
Given the specialized nature of the retrofitting work, Mumbai First took support from SPARC to implement climate-resilient housing interventions within informal settlements. Suitable interventions are currently being deployed and will be adequately assessed in the coming months.
