The current public health emergency has reinforced the fact that housing sector policy and interventions will have to change in the post-pandemic period for healthy living. Liveability and thermal comfort of houses for all income classes have drawn attention during the lockdown, points out a recent analysis of the housing sector carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
A study titled ‘Beyond the four walls of PMAY: Resource efficiency, thermal comfort and liveability in the affordable housing sector’, was released on Thursday by CSE’s executive director (research and advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury and programme director (sustainable buildings and habitat programme) Rajneesh Sareen.
The study says that while trapped stale air in ill-designed thermally uncomfortable air-conditioned houses can foster infectious diseases, overcrowding in lower income households with no ventilation creates more risks for the urban poor. The current public health emergency has reinforced the fact that housing sector policy and interventions will have to change in post-pandemic period.
The ongoing implementation of affordable housing programmes Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for urban areas (PMAY-U) and reviews of the design and performance of affordable housing units at the state level have been captured in this study.
While the latest estimates of Union urban housing ministry puts the national housing demand at 11.2 million, unofficial estimates report a higher housing demand. In current times of social distancing, crowded dwellings can be a bigger threat to health.
The technical group on urban housing shortage has estimated that around 80% of the nation’s housing demand comes from congestion or overcrowding in houses. A house is defined overcrowded in India when a married couple does not have a separate room. To this is added homelessness, building rejection, and non-serviceability of buildings.
CSE study recommended to introduce more comprehensive guidelines and mandates on material and architectural design to improve thermal comfort of buildings and reduce air-conditioned hours for energy savings and healthy living.
