Mapping Delhi's heat to prove a point

It's 2 PM in Delhi's Shahdara area, and the surface temperature is 50 degrees Celsius. This is the area where the majority of working-class people, daily-wage workers, auto drivers and factory workers live. Whereas just 20 minutes away, the surface temperature drops from 50 to 30 degrees Celsius. Because this is the area where the rich and politicians of the country live. And this is not a small difference. To check this, we used a thermal camera. This is recording the regular temperature and humidity here.

And the thermal video we played shows the surface temperature. If you look inside the houses, it will look like you are sitting in a tandoor. We have to wet it for four hours before we sleep, because it's very hot at night. The kids complain that it's hot here, but what alternative is there? We have to lie down here. They sleep here, they stay here, they do everything. When you talk to the vendors, you will find that no matter how hot it is, they have no option but to work. It's the time of Kalyuga.

It's getting hotter and hotter as Kalyuga sets in. You get used to it. It's so hot that you start having a headache. You have to work to earn money. If I don't work due to the heat, how will I feed my kids? How will I put food on the table? Imagine how someone can sleep peacefully in this heat. We saw a very simple thing that is also very disturbing. In the same city, a minister and a vegetable vendor are living in different worlds. And this video is about this gap. Look at these two satellite images carefully.

Did you see any difference? This image is of Delhi's Lutyens area. And 20 km away from there, this image is of Delhi's Shahdara area. Shahdara is one of the most densely packed districts of Northeast Delhi. It consistently comes in those areas which are counted in Delhi's extreme heat zones. As soon as you enter here during the peak hours, you will feel it. Immediately. People live in narrow alleys here. And the houses are jam-packed. Neither the city nor the district has changed. The only difference is the 25-minute drive

-- from the extreme heat zone to here. Welcome to the other Delhi. This is Lutyens Delhi, where all the ministers, MPs, the Chief Justice of India, lawyers and bureaucrats live. The area has the country's most expensive houses. And you won't feel so hot in these areas. This is the India Meteorological Department, the headquarters of the IMD. The official temperature of Delhi that you find on your phone is measured in a station of this complex. Imagine that Delhi's temperature is measured in a lush green area.

Compare Lutyens Delhi to the places where we went. We took a thermal camera to both these areas. And we found something very interesting here. Our thermal recording device, which measures the surface temperature, always shows a number that is much higher than the weather app. Look, the temperature on the walls is 46-42. To understand this issue, one thing that you should know is that the temperature that you see on your mobile app and the temperature that your body tolerates, are different. The temperature that you see on the weather app

measures the temperature of the air at a fixed height under controlled conditions. Whereas your body, whether it's on the road, standing next to a wall, or in a room, every surface has a temperature. And this thermal device measures this temperature. Now you might think that the temperature outside would be higher than the temperature inside. But that's not true. The temperature at home should be cooler than the outside temperature. This is where the heat is coming from. You can see the temperature here.

They sleep and stay here. Zafreen lives in a small room with five other members of her family. She only has a fan. And when it gets too hot, do you do anything? Not much. But in the evening, after the children have eaten I either clean the room or mop the floor. Compare this to Lutyens, where people's income is many times higher than that of Shahadra's people. In this area, if you feel hot, you have the option to turn on the AC immediately. And the heat is gone. Now let's go back to Shahadra.

Meet Gulshan. Gulshan has somehow arranged a cooler this year. But she stays on the top floor, directly under the roof. That means the cooler doesn't offer any relief. We have to soak it in water overnight, then use it. You have to wet it? Yes, we have to wet it for four hours before we sleep. Because it emits heat a lot at night. At one point, even putting more water has no effect. The second thing you must be thinking is that the temperature in the evening will be lower. But that is also wrong.

People also think that it gets cold in the evening. But in the evening... No, it doesn't get cold in the evening either. It emits more heat at night. If you put a cooler outside, you might have some relief because of the air flow. But inside, you die of heat. Such houses either have a door or a small window. Some houses don't even have that. So the heat will enter the house and get trapped. Now look at this scene in such houses where the ventilation is good. And interestingly, the houses that have good ventilation also have AC.

The heat is one thing, but running the cooler day and night brings a hefty electricity bill. This adds to Gulshan's woes. So with the cooler and fridge consuming electricity throughout the day, do you get a high electricity bill? Yes, the bill came just yesterday. It was Rs. 3600. So you must be a lot for you. Yes, it is. In such weather, children are more vulnerable. So Gulshan follows a different routine for them. Because if someone falls sick, it's not just about health; it's also a financial burden.

I bathe the children 2-3 times a day. Then I save them from the sun, because if they go out in the sun, they will fall sick. Then you gotta pay for the hospital and medicines. So, I try to avoid that. I make sure they don't get exposed to the sun. And there is not even a public park here where people can go, sit, breathe, and get some relief from the heat. We know that access to green spaces is also a privilege. Like there are parks in premium-gated societies only for the residents there. Can you fall asleep at night?

No, I keep tossing and turning till 2-2.30 at night. We have to get up and wash our faces, take a bath. We have to do this all night. If the weather is cool in the morning, around 3-4 pm, we get late in the morning. We get up at 8-9 am. This is how we live. Will these problems arise in these rich families? When you have to endure sleepless nights, your body starts giving up. Gulshan doesn't work outside. She stays at home all day. Yet, the heat gets to her with double energy. I feel like vomiting.

I get a headache. If I keep something cool by my side, I feel better. Otherwise, I have a headache. I have low blood pressure. I have low blood pressure when it's hot. There's another cost, and it mostly affects women. Because gas has become expensive due to the war between Iran and the US, many women are now cooking on stoves. The heat from the stove adds to the temperature. Those who have money don't have to worry. In some areas, outside every window, you can see trees and greenery.

In some areas, even if you search the entire neighborhood, you won't find a single tree. You might think these places are far away. But actually, they are very close to each other. That is the strange thing. Inequality is very in your face. That's why places like Sundarnagri turn into a tandoor all day long. In the last 10 years, Delhi's green cover has reduced from 25% to 40%. That's why all the roads, walls, and concrete catch heat. We came to Meena Bazaar to talk to the vendors here.

But before we could talk, the visuals had their own story to tell. This shopkeeper was drenched in sweat and had just vomited. And he wasn't even in the condition to talk. Most shopkeepers have placed a tarpaulin sheet above their shop to protect themselves from the heat. It looks like shade, but there's a problem with the tarpaulin. It doesn't breathe. It's 62.1, these tarpaulins. As you can see, the surface temperature detected through the thermal camera, Haider Ali Ji works daily in this temperature.

A few days ago, he fainted while working. The heat is too much. Because of this, I fainted after getting sunburned. After falling down, I stayed in my house for 2-3 days. My was closed during that time. But I earn my livelihood here. Do you have the idea that this tarpaulin will actually release more heat in the evening? Yes, I do. You are also standing here. You also feel the heat. You wouldn't have the heart to sit here. But what to do? I have to sit. I have to do something for the kids. I am sitting here under scorching heat.

I am doing my duty. So that the kids get two meals a day. No matter how hot it is, they have to work hard for food, clothes, and shelter. But Abdullah, who is 28 years old, doesn't have electricity in his store. Which means he doesn't have a fan to save him. I face a lot of problems here. Because there is no electricity facility here. So I face a lot of problems. So you can't install a fan here? No, I can't. It is so hot that my head starts aching. And it gets worse. So when you have a headache,

do you take medicines or go to the doctor? No, I just stay like this. Because I have to stay here every day. And the data also aligns what these shopkeepers are feeling. According to research, in the country, 3400 people can die in a day due to an extreme heatwave. And when this heatwave extends for 5 days, the death toll can be as high as 30000. Some shopkeepers say that they are used to this extreme heat. Yes, we are used to it. There is no problem. Why? Because they have no other option. We have to work.

Whether it is hot or cold. We have to work to earn money. Remember, in Sundarnagri, Gulshan starts wetting her floor 4 hours in advance. I have to wet the floor 4 hours in advance. Because it gets very hot at night. So that the temperature can drop by 2-3 degrees. At the same footpath, at almost the same time, the temperature of the road is 40 degrees, and the temperature below the tree is 24 degrees. A difference of almost 16 degrees. The difference of 5-10 degrees can be seen in the park and the road next to the park.

And we are not talking about rich and poor Delhi. We are just talking about the park and the road. So now imagine that there is a tree next to a house, and there is no tree next to a house. What will be the difference? How does this happen? Because of the urban heat island effect. Without trees and plants, roads and walls absorb the heat and release it at night. This is why, areas where there are no trees and plants and only concrete, trun into a furnace. And for many years, such buildings have been built in Delhi.

There are no trees and plants. There is concrete everywhere. Where there are trees and plants, the temperatures there are very different. So rich people have ACs to save themselves and trees and plants. And poor people have nothing. Subhash Singh ji has been driving an auto in Central Delhi since 1999. Or as he calls it, quarter of a century. Subhash ji lives in Karawal Nagar, near Sundarnagri. The same house, the same structure. Earlier, it was a little less hot. Now look, the buildings are being built everywhere.

The temperatures are rising. The trees are disappearing. Absolutely. But Karawal Nagar will be even worse. Yes, the houses are all scorched. There are no trees and plants. He says that his daughter has given him a cooler of her family, so that he can sleep comfortably for a while in front of it. But in Karawal Nagar, sometimes half an hour, sometimes an hour, and sometimes the electricity is cut all night. How long have you been driving an auto? It's been 25 years. So you experience this heat every day?

Yes, I experience it, during the day and night. For 25 years, he has been crossing this temperature difference. Twice. Do you find it difficult to fall asleep? Sometimes I get bitten by mosquitoes... It keeps going on at night. The electricity goes out as well. Here in Central Delhi, you don't have electricity cuts. But at my place, when it's time to sleep, the electricity is cut for half an hour, sometimes for an hour. He believes that where the lawmakers and bureaucrats that area will be good.

Where the common man lives, who looks there? But Subhash Ji may not know that beyond influence and power, your income, your social standing, decides what intensity of Delhi's heat you have to endure. And it also decides how much air will come into your house, or how many trees or greenery will be around your house. This is SDA, South Delhi, where two-bedroom flats cost Rs. 60,000 or Rs. 1,00,000 per month. And this area is an area where our laws are enforced. The Delhi Development Authority's master plan

has given many guidelines for minimum open space and tree cover. And all these rules are followed in SDA. All these rules were flouted in Sundarnagri. And that's why the situation here is like this. Definitely, the heat is no longer just a disaster. It has become a labour issue. It has become a health issue. And definitely, it is also a class issue. And every extreme weather event automatically becomes a class issue. Because our society is so divided in class income brackets. The households with lower incomes don't have ventilation.

They live in cramped housing. Thirdly, their neighborhoods don't have spaces where they feel relaxed. As compared to that, when you go to the upper-income neighborhoods in Delhi, there are well-maintained green spaces there. There will be protected forests. Shaded areas are available. Now you might think there's no need to worry because you're in an AC car or an AC house. If the temperature outside is above 50°C, ACs won't work. Most of our split ACs can work around 48°C. But 2 years ago,

the temperature in many parts of the country had crossed 52°C. So you must have understood that heat isn't just a heat problem. It's an inequality problem. Who has trees near their house? Who can go to a park? Who can sleep peacefully? It all depends on how much money you have in your wallet. And you'll agree that this is not fair.