MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Qatar painting roads in blue to combat effects of extreme heat

Doha engineers believe that painting asphalt will help reduce its temperature by 15-20 degrees, as well as increase the service life of the coating.

City administration of the capital of Qatar, Doha, began painting city roads in blue, as part of a pilot project to combat the effects of extreme heat. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 World Cup.

“The temperature of dark asphalt is 20 degrees Celsius higher than the actual temperature, because black attracts and radiates heat,” Doha city engineer said, reports to Ar Raya.

According to him, painting asphalt will help reduce its temperature by 15-20 degrees, as well as increase the service life of the coating.

Currently, roads are painted only on one of the central streets of the city, where the temperature can rise to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) due to the lack of trees.