Heat, water woes and coronavirus: India's perfect storm

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Bollywood stars and political leaders have urged Indians to wash their hands to protect against coronavirus but that's a pipe dream for ...

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, water was in short supply for the 100 million people living in India's urban slums AFP/Jewel SAMADNEW DELHI: Bollywood stars and political leaders have urged Indians to wash their hands to protect against coronavirus but that's a pipe dream for slum-dwellers like Bala Devi, now sweltering through a summer heatwave.

The daily wait for water trucks in the capital has become even worse since the pandemic hit Delhi AFP/SAJJAD HUSSAINOutside it is around 45 degrees Celsius but her one-bedroom tenement house has just an improvised ceiling fan to keep its occupants cool. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, water was in short supply for the 100 million people living in India's urban slums.

Trucks deliver water to areas suffering shortfalls during the summer months but fights regularly break out in long queues to the tap.Heatwaves are increasing in frequency, and this week the mercury hit 50 Celsius in western Rajasthan state. Parts of Delhi recorded their hottest May temperatures in almost 20 years.

Only around 7 per cent of Indian households have air conditioning, despite rising incomes making the luxury more affordable for some. In Delhi, a sprawling city teeming with 20 million people, demand for water outstrips supply by an estimated 760 million litres per day.

 

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