A brutal heatwave has pushed Delhi’s temperature to 45 degrees Celsius, turning the city into a furnace. For the capital’s affluent, air-conditioned homes and offices offer respite. But for the city’s poor, who live in cramped, poorly ventilated slums and work in the scorching sun, survival is a daily struggle.
The crisis has laid bare the absence of what might be called British-style cooling infrastructure: not the cool, damp summers of the UK, but the kind of public provisions that the British state once built to shield its people from extreme heat. In Delhi, there are few public cooling centres, limited access to clean drinking water, and a lack of shaded public spaces. The result is a deadly inequality where the rich escape the heat and the poor endure it.
“It’s like standing in front of an open oven,” said Rajesh Kumar, a 34-year-old rickshaw puller, wiping sweat from his brow. His daily earnings of 400 rupees (about £4) barely cover food for his family. There is no money for a fan that works, let alone an air cooler. His children stay indoors, but the tin roof of their home makes it feel like a pressure cooker.
Health officials are bracing for a surge in heat-related illnesses. Hospitals report an influx of patients with heatstroke, dehydration, and kidney failure. The Delhi government has issued warnings, but for the millions living in unauthorised colonies, the advice — stay indoors, drink water — is a cruel joke. Many cannot afford to stop working, and access to clean water is patchy.
The contrast with the United Kingdom is stark. In London, during last year’s record heatwave, the government activated emergency plans, opened cool rooms in public buildings, and provided free water on public transport. Such measures are routine in many Western cities, but in Delhi, they are a distant dream.
“This is not just about weather. It’s about poverty and politics,” said Dr. Neha Sharma, a public health expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University. “The British built infrastructure for public good. Here, development has been piecemeal, favouring the wealthy. The poor are left to face the consequences of climate change alone.
Trade unions have called for an immediate heat action plan. “We demand shaded rest areas, free water, and compensation for lost workdays,” said Sunita Devi, a leader of the Delhi Labour Union. “Our members are dying. The government must act.
The heatwave is expected to continue for several days. For Delhi’s poor, each day brings a new battle for survival. Without the kind of public infrastructure that wealthy nations take for granted, the gap between life and death is measured in degrees.
