Extreme heat makes life miserable in Indian town

BANDA, India — Heat at all hours, even in the middle of the night. Long stretches without electricity, meaning some homes can't even use basic fans. And a constant search for relief, like being hosed down with water or sleeping outside.

For many residents of Banda, a town in northern India that has recorded some of the country's highest temperatures, just getting through each day is a challenge.

Global warming, caused mostly by the burning of fuels like gas, oil and coal, is making heat waves across India more frequent and intense. Uttar Pradesh, the state Banda is in, is among those most vulnerable to extreme heat. In 2023, at least 119 people died over several days during a severe heat wave in parts of the state.

In May, temperatures reached 48.2 C, one of multiple times this year that the town recorded the country's highest temperature for the day. Banda was also the hottest spot on Earth seven times this year, most of them in April, according to climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, who tracks global weather extremes. Since then, temperatures have dropped but they are still stifling, particularly as seasonal rains increase humidity.

Munni Devi and her four sons begin work loading and unloading vegetables when most of the town is asleep.

It's only 4 am, but the temperature is already 30 C. Workers at Banda's vegetable market are busy unloading tomatoes, jackfruit and other vegetables and transferring them to smaller vehicles for delivery to the neighborhood shops.

Devi, 70, says the heat is becoming more intense every year, and this year has been especially bad. The work is physically demanding in any weather. During a heat wave, it can be brutal. But Devi says she and her sons can't afford to miss a day.

"Everyone feels the heat, but because of our circumstances, we have to bear it," she says.

Hotter days have brought more patients to the hospital in Banda, one of the bigger medical centers in this region. Those with heat-related maladies, ranging from fainting to heatstroke, tend to come in the afternoon and evening, filling the corridors and wards.

Patients sit shoulder-to-shoulder on benches. Relatives fan family members with sheets of paper. Hospital staff move between beds carrying intravenous fluids.

Abhishek Pranayami, the hospital's head doctor, says the hospital sees a surge of patients every summer, "and the number of patients is increasing every year".

He says they are treating large numbers of people suffering from dehydration, diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain — illnesses that become more common as temperatures rise. Some patients recover within days. Others take longer.

The struggle for relief and rest has become a defining feature of summer in cities like Banda.

"Climate change is shifting the average," says Abhiyant Tiwari, climate and health expert at New Delhi-based NRDC India. "While Banda has always been known for hot summers, what is changing right now is the intensity, the duration and the number of people exposed to dangerous heat conditions."

Amit Aasery, the district magistrate of Banda, says officials are studying groundwater levels, soil moisture and vegetation loss while working to improve water supplies and public awareness.

But he says there is only so much they can do. "What is happening here is a global phenomenon," he says. "It is because of climate change. We are the recipients of this."

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA