Life at 50C: Delhi’s streets struggling to cope with heatwave
On the streets of New Delhi, India, a heatwave has sent temperatures climbing to 50 degrees Celsius, bringing misery to many of the city’s citizens.The heatwave has scorched large parts of north and central India, with hundreds of heatstroke-related deaths reported. However, activists say that the situation on the streets of New Delhi are far worse and deaths remain unaccounted for.In this episode of On The Ground, Stuti Mishra speaks with those trying to help the homeless on the streets and in shelters find relief from the punishingly hot weather, and those trying to continue with work throughout.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 It's very hot this time. I haven't seen this much heat in years.
00:04 People are falling down while walking.
00:07 We don't have a house to stay, nor do we have money for rent.
00:10 We are on footpaths. We pray all day and lie on footpaths at night.
00:13 About 417 people have died on Delhi's roads due to heat stroke and other basic diseases.
00:22 India's unprecedented heatwave is showing no sign of weakening.
00:36 Temperatures in the national capital Delhi have been between 45 and 50 degrees Celsius, unlike anything ever.
00:43 And the same has been the case with the rest of North India.
00:46 Thousands of people have been complaining of heat-related illnesses and hundreds of heat-stroke-related deaths have been reported.
00:53 But the government is yet to confirm those figures.
00:56 Here in Delhi, millions of people have no other option but to learn to cope with this heat themselves and find solutions on their own.
01:04 Despite the extreme heat, life in Delhi continues.
01:08 The streets in Delhi are full of vendors selling ice and terracotta pods, a lifeline for most people this time.
01:15 It's been a long time since I've seen this much heat.
01:19 I've had a fever, a cough, and a cough.
01:24 I get nervous when I drive a lot. I feel like I should rest.
01:40 I'm in a terrible state because of the heat. I've had to sit up all night.
01:46 The ground below me was so hot that I couldn't even lie down.
01:50 Look at my condition. I'm sweating.
01:54 I'm in a terrible state because of the heat.
01:57 I'm short of breath. I can't survive the heat.
02:09 Young people are scared and worried.
02:12 After a few hours in the sun, they feel like they should be in the shade.
02:15 What will happen to the old and the weak?
02:18 It happens a lot. Some people have died.
02:21 I read about it in the papers.
02:23 I get a few news daily that two people have died.
02:26 They die in fear in the hospital.
02:29 The biggest victim of Delhi's searing heat has been its homeless population.
02:43 Over 100,000 people live on the streets of Delhi without any roof over their head
02:49 or enough water to get through the day or any cooling solutions to sleep through the night.
02:54 Today, we are in central Delhi at a homeless shelter where a lot of these people do not have basic amenities
03:00 but they have to survive this killer heat.
03:03 I've been suffering from heat for more than a year.
03:06 It's not as bad as it used to be.
03:09 I'm in a terrible state because I'm constantly falling.
03:12 I'm trying to manage.
03:15 I'm sitting in the shade of a tree.
03:17 If I move forward, I can't even stand for a few minutes.
03:21 I'm not able to go to work.
03:24 I used to earn all day.
03:27 I'm back in half time.
03:29 I'm thinking about where I can work after 5 or 6.
03:33 I can't think of anything.
03:35 There have been reports of hundreds of deaths due to heat strokes around the country.
03:40 But activists say the heatwave deaths are often underreported and the real numbers are way worse.
03:48 The climate change is happening and people are running away from their homes.
03:57 The heat is killing them.
04:03 If we look at the weather, electricity, water and basic amenities,
04:09 people who need housing are running away from their homes.
04:23 Delhi has a very large population of more than 1 lakh people.
04:31 And there are around 10,000 people living in the rainbow city.
04:36 In the first quarter of May, around 287 people died.
04:45 In the last 5 days, there have been around 50 deaths due to heat strokes.
04:56 In the last month, around 10-15 people have died due to heat strokes.
05:11 This is a problem for people who don't have a roof over their head.
05:14 People are living in the sun at night.
05:18 Some people have lost their children on the roads.
05:22 Some people have lost their children 8-10 days ago due to heat strokes.
05:29 They have to bring water from Burma to use.
05:34 If the parents can't go, they bring water.
05:37 We live in the centre.
05:41 I have typhoid and liver paleo.
05:45 I have been taking my medicines from a private doctor.
05:48 Government hospitals don't care.
05:52 People have hoped for the upcoming monsoon season to bring this heat down.
06:00 But with monsoon comes humidity and it is still going to keep people's lives as difficult as it is now.
06:06 Experts say India's heat waves are getting deadlier year by year.
06:10 And the government needs to implement urgent measures to save lives and to make people's lives easier.
06:17 For more information, visit www.nrnl.gov.uk/heat-waves
06:21 For more information, visit www.nrnl.gov.uk/heat-waves