Hisar: Summer is cruel in Haryana. During peak summer months of May and June, temperatures can soar to a maximum of 45-48°C in the northern state.
The towns and villages do not cool down at night either.
As the summer unleashes brutal heatwaves and the ACs fire electricity bills and Greenhouse gas emissions, further heat homes and localities across the state, a Hisar-based architect has got a fix for the problem. Gokul Goyal found a novel way to keep his home cool using 7,000 ‘mitti kulhads’ or earthen cups.
Gokul’s eco-friendly roof design offers a refreshing solution and helps save people from climate change-related hazards.
Roof made from clay cups
He uses these earthen cups as the roof of his house. Goyal, who lives in Sector 14, says this method saves him 20 to 25 per cent electricity. “Whoever is building his house or wants to beat the heat in an already built house can adopt this method. By making a roof from earthen cups, you will also feel the top floor like the ground floor as the earthen cups cool down rooms,” Goyal says.
The idea struck the mind of Goyal, who obtained an architect degree from Delhi. During his studies, he thought of doing something new in life. When he returned to his home town Hisar during the Corona period, he got this unique idea of making a roof with kulhars to make the house cool.
To get the roof made from kulhars, Gokul first cleaned his roof thoroughly. Then he got chemical waterproofing done on it. After applying protection plaster to it, he ordered 7,000 kulhars. After this, he packed these items properly through a mesh with the help of concrete before going to the tile shopkeepers to bring waste tiles. He cut them into pieces and put them on the roof of the house.
After this, he packed it well using a solution of white cement and waterproofing. Then kept water on the roof for three days and then treated it. Thereafter, he finished the work with the help of a grinder. According to Goyal, there is no risk of leakage of the roof and the method offers permanent relief from heat.
Goyal said the roof using Kulhads cooled down room temperature by 4 to 5 degrees. “This saves a lot of electricity used in the AC as earlier, I used AC from March to September, but the case is different now. If we talk about the cost-effectiveness, Kulhad-made roof is beneficial in the sense that the cost is Rs 250 per square ft, much less than the air conditioner,” Goyal says.