Delhi Slum Diaries Document Life in 54C Heat

Personal testimonies from residents of Delhi's most cramped districts are forming the core of a new project designed to protect vulnerable populations from extreme heatwaves, which are now officially recognized as disasters. These accounts detail the daily struggles of living in temperatures that have reached as high as 54 degrees Celsius (129.2 degrees Fahrenheit).

One resident, Gulshan, a 39-year-old mother of four, described her nightly routine of repeatedly washing her one-room home's floor to create a cooler surface for her children to sleep on during the summer. Last summer, her family managed to save enough money to purchase a desert cooler, a more energy-efficient alternative to air conditioning. However, the family uses this appliance sparingly due to energy costs. To further mitigate the heat, Gulshan dampens her children's clothes before they sleep. This practice has led to skin rashes and one child developing a skin infection from the constant contact with wet fabric.

The project aims to capture these lived experiences to inform strategies for heat resilience, particularly for those residing in informal settlements and densely populated urban areas where access to cooling infrastructure is limited. These communities often lack adequate ventilation, green spaces, and access to reliable electricity for cooling devices, exacerbating the health risks associated with extreme heat. The initiative highlights the critical need for targeted interventions that address the specific vulnerabilities of slum dwellers, who are disproportionately affected by rising global temperatures and more frequent, intense heatwaves.

By documenting these personal narratives, the project seeks to provide concrete evidence of the human impact of extreme heat, moving beyond abstract statistics to illustrate the daily realities faced by thousands. This approach is crucial for advocating for policy changes, resource allocation, and urban planning that prioritizes the safety and well-being of the most at-risk populations. The collected diaries will serve as a vital resource for researchers, policymakers, and humanitarian organizations working to build more resilient cities in the face of escalating climate challenges. The initiative underscores that heatwaves are not just weather events but significant humanitarian crises requiring immediate and sustained attention.