New Delhi residents endure extreme indoor heat as climate change impacts vulnerable populations

Durga Devi, a 45-year-old resident, finds her concrete home, with its low ceilings and poor ventilation, traps heat, making it "unlivable." Her 21-year-old son, Abhishek Devi, is documenting these conditions with a thermal camera as part of an initiative sponsored by Greenpeace India. He has recorded indoor temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius at night and up to 60 degrees Celsius on street asphalt during the day, significantly higher than official weather station readings.

This documentation, involving around twenty families, aims to pressure local authorities to implement better protections for vulnerable populations. The collected data will support a complaint against authorities to mandate a comprehensive action plan, as current heat protection measures, which fall under state jurisdiction, often focus on emergency responses rather than long-term solutions like building insulation standards. India is severely affected by climate change, with average summer temperatures steadily rising.

May 2024 saw a peak of 49.2 degrees Celsius, matching a record from two years prior, and the highest May nighttime minimum of 31.9 degrees Celsius in fourteen years. The government provides limited data on heat-related deaths, but a May study by University of Berkeley scient