COOLING ZONES during the scorching summer?
Unbelievable as it may sound, the narrow lanes and by-lanes of Varanasi have become summer destinations for people to escape the soaring heat.
Tourist attractions as they are, these narrow lanes become alive during the summer. As maximum temperature hovers between 37 degrees Celsius and 44 degrees Celsius, the locals prefer to pass most of the time in these lanes where penetration of the sun is next to none.
Such types of lanes are seen in the adjoining areas of the Ganga from Assi ghat to Rajghat, covering about 80 different ghats.
These lanes situated between old houses, give respite to residents in the summer season.
A Ganorkar family, who migrated from Maharastra living in a Ganesh Mahal lane in Dashashwamedh ward for the last 10 generations, have good tales to narrate about the cooling effect of lanes during the summer. Sudhir Ganorkar said these lanes have a unique character as they gave respite during the hot season.
“We feel cool during the summer season,” he said and added the reason was that old houses were constructed in a way different to present day construction techniques.”
He said mud, brick and dust and lime were used in the plastering during the construction of old houses instead of cement and sand. He added plasters of brick dust, mud and lime took time in heating, that was why these lanes keep the atmosphere cool during hot season.
Ganorkar said the walls of old houses were too thick to absorb the heat and there was special feature that all the old houses had wells in angans (open places inside a house).
{{/usCountry}}Ganorkar said the walls of old houses were too thick to absorb the heat and there was special feature that all the old houses had wells in angans (open places inside a house).
{{/usCountry}}Another resident Devesh Pandey, whose family have been living for the last several decades in a lane said good ways of cross ventilation, construction of old houses and banks of the river were the main reasons behind the cooling feature of lanes and by-lanes.
Similarly, residents of lanes and by-lanes of Assi, Pandey-Haveli, Gai Ghat shared their experiences and said the atmosphere of the lanes gave them respite during summer season.