A severe heatwave sweeping northern India pushed temperatures in Delhi to 45 degrees Celsius this week, testing the resilience of a network of cooling centres funded by the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Early reports indicate that the facilities, established under a bilateral climate adaptation programme, have prevented what would otherwise have been a significant loss of life among the city's most vulnerable populations.
Delhi's administration activated 240 cooling centres across the capital on Tuesday as the mercury climbed. The centres, equipped with air conditioning, water dispensers and basic medical supplies, have provided refuge for an estimated 15,000 people daily, predominantly rickshaw pullers, construction workers and street vendors. This is the first major test of the network since its completion in March.
The British government contributed £4.2 million to the project, part of a wider £120 million climate resilience fund for South Asia. The centres are operated by the Delhi Municipal Corporation with technical support from the UK Met Office, which provides advance heatwave warnings. Early data suggests that heat-related mortality in areas served by the centres has dropped by 40 per cent compared with previous years.
Critics have questioned the sustainability of the programme. Local NGOs point to Delhi's chronic electricity shortages and the high cost of running air conditioning. However, officials from the British High Commission in New Delhi argue that the investment is cost-effective, noting that each centre costs roughly £15,000 per year to operate. They also highlight the transfer of long-term forecasting technology, which is now being used by the Indian Meteorological Department.
Dr Arunima Singh, a public health researcher at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, described the centres as a crucial stopgap but cautioned that they address symptoms rather than causes. "The underlying issue is urban heat island effect and lack of green cover. Cooling centres are necessary but not sufficient," she said.
The heatwave is expected to persist for another three days. A second phase of the British programme, worth £2.8 million, is scheduled to roll out next year in Mumbai and Kolkata.
