India Endures Extreme Heat: The Poor Left Behind as Government Focuses on Branding
Vidya Krishnan
An extreme heatwave in India, with temperatures surpassing 46°C, has caused multiple deaths and threatens food security. Critics say the government is neglecting the poor and using relief efforts for self-promotion.
India is experiencing an unusually severe summer. Temperatures across the country have exceeded 45°C, reaching as high as 46.9°C on April 26. The consequences have been deadly, including among census workers, voters in West Bengal, and a man who collapsed on a bus en route to a wedding. By late April, all 50 of the world's hottest cities were in India.
The relentless sun, scorching from early morning, has left farmers unable to work, livestock suffering from heat stress, and crops failing. The United Nations warns that heatwaves are pushing food supplies to the brink. Extreme heat not only triggers heart attacks, kidney damage, and sleep disorders but also worsens chronic conditions like diabetes, respiratory diseases, and mental health issues.
Most heat-related deaths go officially unrecorded. According to veteran health journalists, as with past disasters, those who die prematurely often become mere statistics. The 16th Finance Commission recommended declaring heatwaves a national disaster, but bureaucratic hurdles continue to delay compensation for victims.
While the world looks to mitigate climate change through green spaces and wetlands, India is witnessing a 'tree-cutting spree' in its hardest-hit cities. From Nashik, Pune, Bengaluru to Kashmir, centuries-old trees are being felled to make way for roads and 'smart city' projects.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who denied climate change when taking office in 2014, now faces a crisis that exacerbates inequalities of caste, class, and gender. The rich move within air-conditioned spaces, while the poor wander treeless streets. A Harvard study found that nearly 380 million Indians live in conditions exceeding human physiological limits.
The Modi government is criticized for lacking transparency in recording annual heat-related deaths. The Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) temperature data system is considered fragmented, inconsistent, and slow. Last year, the IMD blamed a 'faulty sensor' after recording a temperature of 52.9°C.
Only after temperatures remained above 40°C for 40 consecutive days did the government launch its Heat Action Plan. Observers say the plan is largely a branding exercise, with new 'cooling points' plastered with the prime minister's image. Citizens are now left to fend for themselves, much as they have during previous national crises.
