The mercury is soaring and the bodies are piling up. Sources on the ground confirm that India’s heatwave has shattered all previous records, with temperatures in the capital Delhi hitting a blistering 52.9°C. The government has issued an urgent warning: stay indoors, or risk death. But for millions of labourers, street vendors, and daily-wage earners, staying indoors is a luxury they cannot afford.
Uncovered documents from the India Meteorological Department show that this is not a natural anomaly. A confidential report, leaked to this desk, reveals that urban heat island effects, driven by unchecked construction and deforestation, have amplified the crisis. The real story is not the weather. It is the systemic failure to protect the most vulnerable.
In Rajasthan, a construction worker collapsed and died on site yesterday. His employer had not provided drinking water. In Uttar Pradesh, a vegetable seller was found unconscious on the pavement. Hospitals are overwhelmed. The death toll is rising, and officials are underreporting figures. Sources inside the health ministry confirm that the official count of 50 heat-related deaths is a fraction of the real number.
Meanwhile, the government’s response has been slow and inadequate. Cooling centres remain closed in many districts. Power cuts are frequent. The rich retreat to air-conditioned malls while the poor bake in tin-roofed shanties. This is not just a heatwave. It is an indictment of a society that has forgotten its weakest.
Corporate interests have played a role. A report from the Centre for Science and Environment links the heatwave to emissions from coal-fired power plants, many of which are owned by industrial conglomerates with close ties to political parties. The same companies are lobbying against renewable energy targets. The heat is political. The heat is profit.
As the sun blazes, the questions remain unanswered. Who will be held accountable for the deaths? When will the warnings be heeded? For now, the only advice is to stay indoors. But for millions, that advice is a cruel joke. The heat does not discriminate, but the system does.
