Affordable housing in India, and some issues related to it

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In the 2024 Interim Budget, India's Minister of Finance announced the construction of twenty million additional houses over the next five years under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Gramin). She also announced a new housing scheme for the middle class.

Affordable housing emphasises on mass production. It prioritizes speed, cost and ease over thermal comfort and implementation of low carbon infrastructure. In other words, these houses usually don't have proper heating/cooling and aren't constructed in a way that is eco-friendly.

Within the framework of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, the Light House Project (LHP) are underway as part of the Global Housing Technology Challenge. The government has considered the use of alternative methods of construction such as Mivan, which eliminates the use of bricks and casts various building elements.

Certain concerns have been pointed out. Extensive use of cement and steel without proper insulation results in increased heat gain from the building envelope, which causes thermal distress. This will automatically lead to an increased use of cooling appliances, which in turn will trigger a surge in electricity consumption. There will be a rise in greenhouse gas emissions because of this.

Challenge lies in the implementation of passive design aspects because of the multi-stakeholder nature of the building value chain. A major hurdle in the adoption of passive designs is the lack of tangible benefits perceived by the end user, mainly due to lack of awareness.

Thermal comfort must be prioritised. To make vulnerable communities resistant to heat stress, it is imperative to integrate passive design strategies for thermal comfort. Such steps would help align the "Housing for all" vision with broader environmental and climate change related goals. Implementation of guidelines embedded within building codes, such as Eco Niwas Samhita is also very important.

The Smart Ghar Project in Rajkot serves as a prime example of achieving indoor thermal comfort through passive design implementation.

An ecosystem change is needed across the entire value chain to encourage the adoption and proper implementation of building codes. The need to address the environmental impact of construction activities is imperative. Raising awareness and fostering collaboration amongst stakeholders and incentivising developers to prioritize passive designs should be an essential part of bringing in eco-friendly and comfortable affordable housing.