As northern India suffers an extreme heatwave, alarmingly high numbers of homeless deaths have been reported in New Delhi, with nearly 200 lives lost in the past week. This devastating news comes from a body committed to the welfare of the homeless. The nation is facing unprecedented summer heat, exacerbating the already challenging living conditions for its less fortunate citizens.
Around 52 corpses were transported to medical facilities within a 24-hour period, as reported by the Times of India recently. The victims primarily belonged to the city’s impoverished populace, who typically live and work outdoors. The metropolis of New Delhi itself supports a vast population of an estimated 32 million.
Between June 11th and June 19th, a staggering total of 192 fatalities were reported among New Delhi’s homeless community, a significant increase from previous years. This data comes from the non-profit Centre for Holistic Development, using government figures.
Sunil Kumar Aledia, who is responsible for the operation of the Centre, notes, “Those who are severely impoverished bear the brunt of such catastrophic change in climate. A large number of these unfortunate individuals dwell beneath highways, or in the open with no shield from the severe heat. The vast majority of these deaths can be attributed to this heatwave.”
Over 40,000 probable cases of heatstroke have been catalogued across India this summer, with confirmed fatalities numbering at least 110 between March 1st and June 18th. This coincides with a period when the northwestern and eastern regions of India noted more than double the typical count of heatwave days.
The Hindu newspaper, in a recent editorial, made a case for categorising an extended summer as a natural disaster, given the resultant water deficiencies and unprecedented power demands.
The health ministry has instructed federal and state organisations to prioritise patient care, while hospitals have been directed to increase bed availability. However, the prognosis is worrying, as weather forecasts predict above-average temperatures to continue throughout this month. In fact, the previous Wednesday night was Delhi’s warmest in more than half-century, with the mercury hitting a startling low of 35.2 degrees Celsius, as dictated by weather department data.
There has been some reprieve, however, as weather reports indicate a decline of approximately 6 degrees to 37 degrees on Thursday following some rainfall in New Delhi.