New Delhi: Poor ventilation
and ill-designed air-conditioning systems
can trap stale air and increase the risk of catching diseases inside homes. This and many more living problems in the post-pandemic period have been highlighted by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE
) in an analysis titled “Beyond the Four Walls of PMAY: Resource efficiency, thermal comfort and livability in the affordable housing sector”.
The analysis points out that even if high outdoor temperature does manage to diminish novel coronavirus
, mechanically cooled indoor temperatures and the air ducts of centrally air-conditioned buildings may enable the virus to thrive.
“In fact, anticipating the risk, the Covid-19 Task Force and Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning released a booklet recommending maintaining of reasonably high levels of humidity, high rate of air change, and higher air temperature, among other things,” said CSE.
At the same time, social distancing is virtually impossible in poorly designed small housing units of low-income groups, the policy brief points out.
The analysis mentions: “The migrant crisis has shown how current approaches to housing provisions for the poorer sections need to change. Moreover, the overall hygiene of neighbourhoods in terms of access to water, sanitation and waste management requires most decentralised and efficient municipal services and decentralised resource and waste management systems to control the exposure to risk. Access to clean environment will have to be universal to protect all.”
CSE said the Covid-19 challenge has raised concerns about thermally uncomfortable buildings, which increases air conditioning usage and, therefore, the risk of infections.
“This has once again brought to the forefront the need to design buildings for thermal comfort and to minimise air-conditioned hours. Out of the total approved projects under PMAY-U, 34% are under affordable housing that the private sector is delivering. But nearly the entire focus is on speed and ease of construction and material choices. It is now necessary to link these subsidies and incentives with performance of the housing stock to ensure quality and liveability,” said CSE.
The technical group on urban housing shortage estimates that around 80% of the nation’s housing demand comes from congestion or overcrowding in houses. A house is defined as overcrowded in India when a married couple doesn’t have a separate room.