Mahila Housing Trust - MHT

26/05/2026

🌡️ Mapping Jalgaon’s Heat, One Street at a Time

Jalgaon’s summers are becoming increasingly severe. Research by Mahila Housing Trust - MHT shows a sharp rise in the number of days with temperatures above 40°C over the last decade. Even nights are no longer bringing relief, with temperatures remaining above 30°C until 1 am.

To better understand these changing heat patterns and support targeted climate action, Mahila Housing Trust, in collaboration with the Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation - जळगाव शहर महानगरपालिका, conducted a city-wide Heat Mapping Exercise from 22–25 May 2026.

Unlike satellite-based assessments that often miss ground realities, this exercise captured real-time street-level temperature and humidity data across Jalgaon. Six routes covering 70.4 km were identified to represent diverse urban typologies - including the old city, new residential areas, industrial zones, parks, barren lands, and areas near water bodies.

A key highlight of this initiative was the leadership of community women. On 22 and 23 May, women participants were trained to operate high-accuracy sensors and navigate mapping routes. Mock trials ensured they were fully confident before the final campaign.

On 25 May, cars equipped with air temperature and relative humidity sensors traversed the city during two critical periods:

☀️ Afternoon Mapping: 2–3 pm
🌙 Night Mapping: 10–11 pm

The collected data will now be analysed using advanced AI and machine learning techniques to generate high-resolution day and night heat maps for Jalgaon.

These insights will help Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation - जळगाव शहर महानगरपालिका identify the hottest areas across the city and design targeted interventions to protect vulnerable communities from extreme heat.

This initiative demonstrates how community participation, science, and technology can come together to build climate-resilient cities.

HSBC University of Toronto National Disaster Management Authority, India Bijal Bhatt

25/05/2026

With the support of HCLFoundation and the Lucknow Municipal Corporation , MHT conducted an engaging session on Solid Waste Management for girls of Classes 1 to 5 during the Summer Camp at Model Montessori School.

Through fun and interactive activities, children learned about:

🟢 Segregating wet and dry waste
🗑️ Proper use of dustbins
♻️ The importance of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”
🚫 Harmful effects of plastic use
🛍️ Using cloth and paper bags instead of plastic bags

The session also encouraged children to practice waste segregation at home and spread awareness about cleanliness and environmental protection in their communities.

Together, we are nurturing responsible habits and building a cleaner, greener future for the next generation.

National Disaster Management Authority, India Bijal Bhatt

23/05/2026

Building Heat-Resilient Communities: Empowering ASHA Workers for Climate Action

As part of the initiative in , a training programme on “Understanding Heat and Health” was organized for workers at Jalgaon.

ASHA workers are among the most vulnerable groups affected by extreme heat, making their awareness and preparedness essential for community resilience.

The training focused on:

- Climate change and its impacts
- Rising temperatures and associated risks
- Heat-related illnesses
- Preventive and adaptive heat measures

Interactive learning tools such as posters, presentations, and snake-and-ladder games made the sessions engaging and informative. Through the programme, participants gained practical knowledge to reduce heat-related risks and support their communities during extreme heat conditions.

The training was attended by the Hon’ble Nodal Officer of Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation and the Section Engineer from the Environment Department.

Together, we are building stronger, heat-resilient communities.



University of Toronto Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation - जळगाव शहर महानगरपालिका National Disaster Management Authority, India

21/05/2026

Protecting families from extreme heat through parametric heat risk insurance.

In India, extreme heat waves caused the loss of nearly 247 billion labour hours in 2024, leading to an estimated $194 billion economic loss. The construction and agriculture sectors were among the hardest hit, with informal workers facing the greatest impact.

As temperatures continue to rise, innovative solutions are becoming essential. In Ahmedabad and other cities like Surat, Vadodara, Delhi and Faridabad, Mahila Housing Trust’s (MHT) parametric heat insurance models is providing frontline workers with timely financial support when temperatures cross dangerous thresholds - helping them stay safe without sacrificing their livelihoods.

So far, INR 28,40,000 (nearly USD 29,000) Claimed under this insurance initiatives, helping vulnerable families cope with the financial impacts of extreme heat. The combination of awareness, community engagement, and early payouts has helped build trust among women members, encouraging greater adoption of climate risk protection solutions for the future.

Recently, Firstpost also covered MHT’s innovative parametric insurance initiative, bringing wider attention to how climate-responsive financial protection can support vulnerable informal workers during extreme heat events.

🎥 Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGLTizNyxXs

Howden | Global Parametrics | Go Digit General Insurance | HERA (Climate Resilience for All) | National Disaster Management Authority, India | Bijal Bhatt

As India faces increasingly dangerous heatwaves, a new type of insurance is offering relief to vulnerable workers. Under a 'parametric insurance' model, payo...

20/05/2026

Building Heat Resilience in Delhi: Special Training for Census Survey Animators (School Teachers).

As a part of the Delhi Heat Action Plan, MHT in collaboration with the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), conducted a special heat awareness and preparedness training for animators (school teachers) engaged in the Census Survey. A total of 87 male and female teachers attended the comprehensive training program.

The training was organized across two government schools in Delhi, where participants were oriented on:
✅ Heat-related risks and impacts
✅ Preventive measures during extreme heat
✅ Community awareness and emergency response
✅ Safety practices while conducting Census surveys during heatwave conditions

This initiative marks an important and pioneering step towards strengthening the Delhi Heat Action Plan and building
a more climate-resilient community.

National Disaster Management Authority, India Bijal Bhattjalb_15 Census India 2027

13/05/2026

Strengthening Heat Resilience Through Cool Roof Interventions:

At at Supreme Colony, , Ward No. 19 was identified as a highly vulnerable settlement for implementation of the intervention.

The Cool Roofing initiative commenced at Supreme Colony in the presence of the Mayor of Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation, Nodal Officer Prakash Patil Sir, local corporators, and community members.

This initiative represents an important step towards strengthening urban heat resilience and reducing heat stress for vulnerable communities through evidence-based and community-centered climate adaptation solutions.



University of Toronto Jalgaon City Municipal Corporation - जळगाव शहर महानगरपालिका National Disaster Management Authority, India Bijal Bhatt

13/05/2026

From Action to Impact: Installing Speed Breakers for Safer Streets

For nearly 2 years, women from the Odhav Mahila Ward Committee continuously followed up with authorities to improve road safety near a school and hospital in Odhav Ward.

Their collective efforts led to the installation of 4 speed breakers, making the road safer for children, patients, elderly people, and thousands of daily commuters.

A powerful example of women-led community action creating safer public spaces.

Bijal Bhatt

12/05/2026

Cool Auto: A Heat resilient mobility solution

MHT has introduced the Cool Auto in - a unique and innovative heat-resilient mobility solution designed to protect auto drivers and passengers from extreme heat conditions.

Key Features and Benefits:
- Reduces inside temperature of the auto, providing thermal comfort
- Protects drivers and passengers from heat waves and extreme summer temperatures
- Uses sustainable and natural materials like paddy husk
- Ensures proper ventilation and improved air circulation
- Environment-friendly, low-cost, and energy-efficient cooling solution
- Enhance wellbeing and safety for urban transport users and informal workers

The Cool Auto demonstrates an innovative, climate-responsive approach to sustainable urban mobility and heat adaptation.



National Disaster Management Authority, India

12/05/2026

As India's summers intensify, imagine this in every city: public cooling space saving lives, cutting emissions, and building resilient communities. Why wait for the next heatwave? Nagar Nigam Jodhpur

Huge thanks to TheBetterIndia for amplifying this story far and wide-let's make it a nationwide reality!

12/05/2026

Heat Early Warning: Community Awareness for Heat and Health Safety

Mahila housing Trust (MHT) is working on water, sanitation, hygiene, and issues in Lucknow slums areas with the support of Uday by HCLFoundation

As a part of heat awareness programmes, Community Action Group (CAG) women and child doctors (trained by MHT) in New Daud Nagar and Gajipur Balram were trained to maintain charts for the next 5 days during the summer season to support community preparedness against extreme heat.



National Disaster Management Authority, India HCLFoundation

09/05/2026

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 #𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗲!

𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁: 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝘆 & 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁

Mahila Housing Trust(MHT), in collaboration with the Indore Municipal Corporation and with the support of H T Parekh Foundation will undertake a large-scale Heat Mapping exercise across some of the most heat-vulnerable areas of Indore.

This initiative aims to collect real-time temperature and exposure data to build a strong evidence base on urban heat stress - an essential step toward developing climate-resilient, inclusive, and people-centered urban strategies for the city.

The Indore Municipal Corporation has shown strong commitment to the process by contributing valuable additional locations for the mapping exercise, further strengthening the initiative.

A unique aspect of this campaign is the inclusion of night-time temperature - an important yet relatively unexplored dimension of urban heat studies. By recording temperature variations during late evening and night hours, the exercise seeks to understand how heat continues to persist in dense urban neighbourhoods even after sunset, especially in vulnerable communities. This marks one of the first extensive night-time heat mapping efforts in the city.

What makes this effort especially meaningful is the active participation of women from the . Their leadership, lived experiences, and local knowledge are central to identifying the everyday realities of heat exposure faced by vulnerable settlements and informal workers.

Together, we move towards cooler, safer, and more resilient cities for all.



National Disaster Management Authority, India Bijal Bhatt