South Africa: Heat mapping plan aims to help keep citizens cool
Cities across South Africa are developing measures to protect residents from the ill effects of extreme heat.
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A recent study by the National Treasury Cities Support Programme and the World Bank found that in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, most neighbourhoods experienced about 20 hot nights a year in recent decades. But Soweto, Alexandra and Thembisa experienced night-time temperatures that were 3°C higher than the city average. By 2050 these neighbourhoods could see as many as 120 hot nights per year.
Temperature increases not only have an effect on the environment but have measurable effects on human health. High night-time temperatures are associated with increased mortality from respiratory, cardiovascular and renal conditions because the human body maintains an internal temperature of 37°C partly through rest and cooling at night.
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Fortunately, South Africans are mobilising to find solutions to extreme heat. Residents of Tshwane, Cape Town and Buffalo City have taken to the streets in an innovative “citizen science” heat mapping initiative.
The citizen scientists fix heat sensors onto cars and drive pre-planned routes across their cities, collecting thousands of temperature measurements as they go. The resulting heat maps will provide crucial information for municipal authorities, which have partnered in this initiative with the Treasury’s Cities Support Programme, the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, and the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs, to use when developing heat action plans.
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