Delhi's poorest residents endure life-threatening heat with minimal protection as temperatures reach 54 degrees Celsius. A new documentation project captures their survival strategies through personal testimonies, recognizing extreme heat as a disaster requiring urgent intervention.
Gulshan, a 39-year-old mother of four in a Delhi slum, illustrates the daily toll. She washes her one-room home's floor multiple times each evening to create a cool sleeping surface. Last year, her family saved enough for a desert cooler, an evaporative device cheaper than air conditioning but still costly to operate. She dampens her children's clothes before bed to manage temperatures. The consequence: rashes and skin infections from prolonged moisture exposure.
This reality extends across millions in India's capital. Slum residents lack adequate ventilation, reliable electricity, and affordable cooling options. Dense construction traps heat. Many cannot afford even basic coolers or face water shortages needed to operate them. Night-time temperatures remain dangerously elevated.
Heatwaves now register as disasters in India's official framework. The country experienced multiple severe heatwaves in 2024, with temperatures exceeding previous records. Delhi's May 2024 heatwave killed dozens and strained power grids. Health systems reported heat-related admissions climbing sharply during peak months.
The new documentation project shifts focus from abstract climate data to lived experience. Personal accounts reveal gaps in public health response and infrastructure investment. They establish baseline conditions before conditions worsen further under projected warming scenarios. Researchers working on the project use these testimonies to advocate for targeted cooling centers, improved slum housing standards, and emergency protocols for extreme heat events.
India's climate adaptation strategy increasingly emphasizes protecting vulnerable urban populations. Yet funding remains insufficient. Cities prioritize road cooling and commercial district climate control while slum residents improvise with wet floors and damp clothing.
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