00:00It feels like heat is radiating directly from the walls.
00:06When children say they can't sleep, that's a strong statement.
00:11Heat is trapped inside.
00:19Extreme heat is the wall's deadliest weather hazard.
00:23And these young people are determined to do something about it.
00:28In the southern Indian coastal city of Chennai, students at an alternative school have organised an exhibition.
00:34The question they are asking is, how could their neighbourhood be redesigned to help people cope better with heat?
00:43There was a group called Aramthini that had come to our school and they taught us about urban heat-tired
00:50effect and flooding.
00:51And we went and surveyed people along with them to find out how they face the heat.
00:57Coconut sellers, seat vendors, gig workers and all.
01:01Because they are the ones who spend their whole day outside on the road.
01:04Buildings are one of the main causes of urban heat islands.
01:08During the day, the sun heats up concrete walls, which then release that heat back into the surroundings at night.
01:14Densely built up neighbourhoods become giant heat sponges.
01:18I went to Tiruvamir Kuppam, that's a fisherman's area where they live.
01:22And I surveyed them, asked how hot their house feels.
01:26I measured the temperature outside and the temperature inside their house and all of that.
01:31And after that, I came up with the conclusion that the houses inside the house, inside, are actually more hotter
01:37than outside.
01:38Because the houses are very, they have, they use the wrong materials and then the houses are very packed and
01:45close together.
01:47The young people asked some more questions.
01:50This time, talking to people who are exposed to the heat daily.
01:54Then, they developed ideas.
01:56New uniforms that are cooler.
01:58Hygiene kits for sanitation workers.
02:00Better market stalls for fishermen.
02:02And heat-resilient homes.
02:05Climate change by this time became like a fatigue for our children, because they felt that, you know, they're just
02:10children and they can't do anything about it.
02:12So, that's where we were very particular that we should do a project on climate change, but that involves some
02:17kind of an action, right?
02:19The school now plans to take the discussion to the local authorities.
02:23Among all extreme weather, heat is the deadliest.
02:27According to our 2026 study, a single day of extreme heat claims around 3,000 lives in India.
02:36Hot days can also become unbearable in Ramapuram, a suburb in western Chennai.
02:43The youth initiative, Chennai Climate Action Group, has decided to take action.
02:51We look at how people get impacted by heat by documenting their lived experience.
02:57We looked at which areas are hotter and which ones are cooler.
03:00And we use photos to illustrate the findings.
03:05Children quickly notice when the scorching heat keeps them from playing outside as they normally would.
03:11Even the evenings bring little relief on days like these.
03:21Usually after completing our evening chores, we would go outside around 7pm.
03:26We would go back in when we needed the breeze from the fan.
03:30Then we would head indoors quickly.
03:33But now inside the house, the fan's air is not enough.
03:36It feels like heat is radiating directly from the walls.
03:39So now we don't go back indoors until around 11pm.
03:44Hot nights are also a serious health concern.
03:49The way our body works is, morning we get a lot of strain because of heat exposures.
03:56And night times, it's supposed to cool down and body is supposed to recover.
04:02But what's happening is, your body temperature does not actually go down to the level where your recovery will start
04:10because of the indoor temperatures.
04:12Heat is trapped inside.
04:16The project has helped the young people understand the many different impacts of extreme heat.
04:23Along the way, they also came up with ideas of their own.
04:28I would definitely set up a large common shelter for every street.
04:33So many people suffer immensely because of the heat.
04:36And for the sanitation workers, I would definitely change their work hours so they don't have to work during peak
04:42heat.
04:45Supriya Sahu listens carefully to what the students tell her.
04:49As Tamil Nadu's former additional chief secretary for environment and forests, she's eager to hear about their survey findings.
04:57Because the temperatures are so high, it's not just us who get affected.
05:01Also people who work on our streets, people who deliver food, etc.
05:08The Greater Chennai Corporation has already installed several air-conditioned cooling cabins across the city.
05:15For gig workers, delivery drivers and passers-by.
05:20Each can accommodate around 20 people.
05:22And children and young people are also set to receive better protection in the future.
05:27Several studies have shown that if the temperature goes above 37 degrees centigrade,
05:34the ability of children to focus, concentrate on their studies, especially during exam time, it kind of reduces.
05:43So we are rolling out the Cool Roof Initiative in Chennai in 55 government schools.
05:49The work is already going on.
05:52As part of the Cool Roof Initiative, school roofs are being painted with light reflective coatings.
05:58This can lower indoor temperatures by as much as 7 degrees Celsius.
06:03The state has also launched its Green School Initiative to help protect children and young people from extreme heat in
06:10the future.
06:11These green schools, they are converting their energy consumption to renewable resources.
06:18So these schools, they have installed, you know, solar power.
06:22Apart from that, we have chosen those schools to begin with, where there is some kind of a land available,
06:28where they can plant trees, they can create a green environment around the school.
06:35Taking part in projects like these gives young people the feeling that they can make a difference,
06:41and eases the sense of helplessness that comes with being at the mercy of extreme heat.
06:49What's the right?
06:49See you at the end.
06:50Over here, we'll be careful.
06:50The completing steps are not equipped.
06:51We'll be careful.
06:51You're some of the best in the world.
06:51We'll be careful in the progress.
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