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Extreme heat in India causes people to collapse
(MENAFN) In the scorching summer of 2024, Annu Tiwari, a 35-year-old woman from Bahraich in northern India, collapsed twice due to extreme heat. Her husband, Subhash, a commercial vehicle driver, initially sought medical help from a local healer, who blamed her illness on "heat entering her brain." Unsatisfied with the diagnosis, Subhash took her to a government hospital, where they received similar advice and a week’s worth of medication.
Determined to protect his wife, Subhash borrowed 38,000 rupees (around $450) to buy a backup power system and a second-hand air conditioner. “She is my only family, and I can’t let her suffer,” he explained, adding that he now works extra hours to manage his finances and ensure his wife’s comfort.
Between March and June 2024, India faced an unprecedented heatwave, with 37 cities exceeding 45°C. The northern and eastern regions experienced twice the usual number of heatwave days. May 2024 was particularly brutal, with average temperatures reaching 31.7°C—one degree higher than the previous year. The heatwave drove electricity demand up by 6.1% from April to September, with air conditioning accounting for nearly a third of the increase.
While some, like Subhash, managed to secure cooling solutions, many struggled. Dimple Mishra, a tailor in Lucknow, couldn’t afford even a basic air cooler for her children. With her husband, a daily wage laborer, finding work inconsistently, she is barely managing household expenses. Rising electricity costs are another concern—she expects her bill to increase by at least 200 rupees ($3) in the coming months.
Desperate for financial relief, Dimple is considering sending her 14-year-old son to work at a grocery store after school, where he could earn 100 rupees ($1.14) a day.
The growing dependence on air conditioning amid rising temperatures is widening the economic gap in India, making cooling a luxury only the financially stable can afford.
Determined to protect his wife, Subhash borrowed 38,000 rupees (around $450) to buy a backup power system and a second-hand air conditioner. “She is my only family, and I can’t let her suffer,” he explained, adding that he now works extra hours to manage his finances and ensure his wife’s comfort.
Between March and June 2024, India faced an unprecedented heatwave, with 37 cities exceeding 45°C. The northern and eastern regions experienced twice the usual number of heatwave days. May 2024 was particularly brutal, with average temperatures reaching 31.7°C—one degree higher than the previous year. The heatwave drove electricity demand up by 6.1% from April to September, with air conditioning accounting for nearly a third of the increase.
While some, like Subhash, managed to secure cooling solutions, many struggled. Dimple Mishra, a tailor in Lucknow, couldn’t afford even a basic air cooler for her children. With her husband, a daily wage laborer, finding work inconsistently, she is barely managing household expenses. Rising electricity costs are another concern—she expects her bill to increase by at least 200 rupees ($3) in the coming months.
Desperate for financial relief, Dimple is considering sending her 14-year-old son to work at a grocery store after school, where he could earn 100 rupees ($1.14) a day.
The growing dependence on air conditioning amid rising temperatures is widening the economic gap in India, making cooling a luxury only the financially stable can afford.
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