Khadija Kamara lives in one of the fifty five buildings in Kroo Bay which had an 'ultra cool' roof installedDuring the dry season, that was the daily reality for Khadija Kamara, living in the Kroo Bay settlement of Freetown, Sierra Leone.Belfast-based Peter Dynes is one of the leaders of MEER , which has been working with local councils.The panels, which he said can help reduce internal temperatures by over 6C, involve a highly reflective coating made up of recycled materials.
Most of the homes within these settlements are built using zinc-coated corrugated metal sheets, which rust, erode and trap in heat from the sun, making heatwaves increasingly dangerous for residents. And as the temperatures around the world climb higher, developing nations are racing to think of new ways to adapt to the new reality of extreme weather.
Mr Dynes told BBC News NI that “albedo, or reflective modification, has been used for many many years, hundreds if not thousands in fact.According to Mr Dynes, “the problem with using paints, especially in the tropics, is that it soils very quickly and very easily because of the humidity and dust”.The project also aims to utilise reflective panelling in an agricultural setting to help reduce groundwater evaporation and protect against drought.