So, this is actually rather old news, from February of this year, but given how temperatures are soaring across India right now, it’s worth mentioning.
Amdavad, like the rest of Gujarat gets pretty hot in the summers, with temperatures touching 43°C this year. Like other cities, the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) began remedial measures such as setting up green nets at intersections, shutting off traffic signals, installing fans and coolers at transport terminals and more.
In the midst of this, came a very unique and interesting idea that utilised one of the most basic concepts taught to us in high-school physics. Which colour reflects the most heat? The answer is white, because it reflects all wavelengths of light, including infrared rays which cause heat. Conversely, black absorbs all wavelengths of light, thus absorbing the most heat. This is quite interesting from an evolutionary point of view because black tends to be the standard hair colour in those parts of the world where there is more heat.
Anyway, getting back to Gujarat, the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) called for tenders in late February to have the rooftops of all buses painted white. The tender’s deadline was in March and unfortunately, I haven’t seen any news talking about what happened after that. I will ask my friends in textile city for updates, if any though.
