Clay walls, check dams and neem leaves: Rural India fights extreme heat with age-old wisdom

NEW DELHI: As India braces itself for the upcoming scorching summers, rural communities across heatwave-prone states are turning to traditional and low-cost solutions to shield themselves from rising temperatures. From building check dams to planting native trees and adjusting daily routines, villagers are crafting ground-up heat resilience where formal cooling infrastructure is scarce.According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the number of heatwave days is likely to increase by up to 7-8 days in northern and western India, including…