How innovative portable shelters help India’s outdoor workers beat the Heat

BENGALURU, India (AP) – The innovative portable shelter recently exhibited in one of India’s largest cities shows that smart, cheap ways to help workers escape heat are gaining attention in a country particularly vulnerable to extreme temperatures driven by climate change.

Neralu Shelter is the winner of a design competition in the southern city of Bengaluru, with dramatic performances on the thermal effects of outdoor workers and heat-related research at the sweat and concrete 2025 event in late May. Organizer Kanishk Kabiraj said the purpose of the exhibition is to raise awareness about how extreme heat can harm the health and livelihoods of the country’s outdoor workforce. In recent years, India has shifted toward greater awareness of climate-related issues.

“We think it’s important not only to talk about concepts, but to try to create models and proof of concepts,” Kabiraj said.

Neralu is in the most common native language in Bangalore, which means the shadows in Kannada, consisting of a lightweight frame that supports manual pulley operation of shadows, benches and sloping slats for fans sitting there. The shelter costs about $175 and is made of metal, fiber-reinforced plastic and plywood. Weighing about 15 kg (33 lbs) and can accommodate up to 4 people, it can be installed on outdoor walls and is easy to disassemble and transport on small motor vehicles called Tuk-tuks.

“This shelter will help people like us who work outdoors,” said Madhe Gowda, a 62-year-old fruit seller who participated in the exhibition. “I sell fruit from my trolley all day. When it’s really hot, my fruit starts to rot and it’s hard for me to walk around.”

Neralu beat 19 other entries in a match designed and supply shelter for outdoor workers organized in Bangalore. Ankritya Diggavi, one of the architects behind the design, said it was inspired by talking and observing with outdoor workers.

“They made their own temporary measures using materials such as beach umbrellas and tarpaulins,” Diggavi said.

The designer said the Neralu Shelter can be made from recycled and reused materials from the automotive industry or other businesses. They say there is a lot of room for modification based on local needs and available materials.

“We wanted something simple, affordable and quickly assembled,” said another designer, Sagar Kandal.

They said they have received interest from public and private organizations that want to buy and install these shelters in the city. India’s meteorological department has found that the city’s extremely hot days have increased, and plan experts say this could be due to climate change and rapid urbanization.

As many Indian countries design heat and climate change adaptation plans continue to increase, they say shelters can work in any thermal stress cities that require low-cost solutions.

Tamanna Dalal, a heat policy researcher for the New Delhi-based think tank Sustainable Futures Cooperation, said the way cities in India are built lead to urban heat islands (urban heat islands), with average average temperatures higher than part of cities in the surrounding area. Dalar added that as the heat worsens in the coming years, shelters that take local climate into account and can be easily replicated will become “critical”.

India is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to have climate impacts, with floods, heat waves and cyclones causing 80,000 deaths and economic losses, close to $180 billion from 1993 to 2022. According to the International Labor Organization, India will lose up to 34 million jobs due to increasing heat.

P. Kumaravel, a 42-year-old construction worker, welcomed the idea of ​​shelter during an event held in the two-day event in late May, but said good public transport and reliable health insurance were what workers like him needed the most.

“The heat this year is really bad. I have rashes and papules. We rest under trees when we can, but we can go to work, not to rest,” he said. “The shelter is helpful, but not enough.”

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