Nature-based Innovation to Tackle Heat

Bihar, like many other states in India, has been witnessing record-breaking temperatures in recent years. According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Buxar recorded a staggering 47.2°C in June 2024. As extreme heat events become more frequent, solutions like cool shelters offer a lifeline to vulnerable communities struggling to cope with rising temperatures.

At the Bihar Diwas 2025, inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on March 22, 2025 a unique innovation aimed at tackling the intensifying heatwaves in the state was showcased. A fibre from Rajasthan - the Magra fibre - was used as insulation for a cool shelter. The story of this pastoral wool fibre traces back to SEEDS (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society) and its contribution to the India Humanitarian Hub initiative, which aims to build climate resilience through local innovation. As part of this effort, Urmul, in collaboration with Samakhya Sustainable Alternatives, repurposed discarded sheep wool by combining indigenous knowledge with technological inputs.

SEED's Climate-resilient Shelters for Local Communities

SEED's Climate-resilient Shelters for Local Communities

The aim was to create solutions that support self-reliance, sustainability, and fit within the social systems of local communities. Today, Magra’s regenerative pastoral fibres offer an effective and eco-friendly option for thermal and acoustic insulation.

SEEDS has been developing and refining cool shelters over the years, experimenting with sustainable materials and structural adaptations to improve their effectiveness against extreme heat. In 2023, the organisation piloted a series of bamboo shelters across Delhi, offering much-needed respite to the city’s most heat-exposed populations - rickshaw pullers, rag pickers, and construction workers. Constructed primarily using eco-friendly bamboo, these shelters leveraged the material’s natural cooling properties to create breathable, shaded spaces in urban heat islands.

 

Climate Resilient & Disaster prone housing structure

The impact of the latest iteration of the cool shelter that used this Magra fibre in Patna was evident. On March 25, 2025 when the outside temperature reached 44 degrees Celsius, the temperature inside the shelter remained 38 degrees Celsius, marking a notable reduction of 5 to 6 degrees Celsius.

The SEEDS stall at Bihar Diwas attracted considerable attention from government officials, scientific experts, and representatives from leading organizations. Among the key dignitaries who visited the stall were the Honorable Governor of Bihar Arif Mohammad Khan, Vice Chairman of Bihar State Disaster Management Authority Uday Kant Mishra and other members of BSDMA, Narendra Kumar Singh and Koshal Kishor Mishra.

District Magistrate of Patna Sri Chandrashekhar, along with Scientific Officers from Bihar Mausam Seva Kendra Dr. S. Neethu and Dr. Abhishek Kumar Mishra, also took keen interest in the initiative.

“We should spread the word as much as possible for such innovations. It should reach the villages and be made available to them, as it can provide relief from extreme heat,” said Uday Kant Mishra, Vice Chairman of BSDMA.

Expanding the reach of cool shelters, making them accessible to more communities across India is important as another hot summer lies ahead. As Bihar and other states brace for another sweltering summer, the role of sustainable, low-cost cooling solutions is increasingly crucial.

SEEDS is proud recipient of the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 and Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Award 2021 by Government of India.