Seventy-year-old Munni Devi and her four sons begin their day loading and unloading vegetables at 4 a.m. in Banda, India. The temperature is already 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Devi states the heat intensifies each year, making this year particularly brutal, yet she and her sons cannot afford to miss a single day of work.
Banda has endured weeks of extreme heat, with temperatures peaking at 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) in June of the same year. In May, temperatures reached 48.2 Celsius (118.8 Fahrenheit), one of multiple times the town recorded the country’s highest daily temperature. Climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, who tracks global weather extremes, noted Banda was the hottest spot on Earth seven times this year, mostly in April. The heat persists even after sunset, forcing many to seek relief outside their homes.
Labor Under Duress
For Banda's working class, daily life is a constant struggle against the heat. Long stretches without electricity mean basic fans are useless in many homes. Residents resort to water, ice packs, and sleeping outdoors when possible. Devi's grandchildren are sprayed with a water hose daily for relief, as unreliable power leaves their home without respite.
As the afternoon sun bakes the streets, those who can afford to stay indoors do so. However, vegetable sellers and auto-rickshaw drivers remain outside, hoping to secure more business. Laborers whose homes are too small and hot to sleep in gather at the town’s railway station late into the night. They spread blankets on stone platforms or lie directly on gravel, seeking any breeze or open space for rest, despite the noise of vehicles and passengers. Families with young children huddle around smartphones, unable to sleep in the oppressive heat.
The State's Limited Response
The extreme temperatures have overwhelmed Banda’s medical infrastructure. Dr. Abhishek Pranayami, the hospital’s head doctor, reports a surge of patients every summer, with numbers increasing annually. Corridors and wards fill with those suffering from heat maladies, dehydration, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Patients sit shoulder-to-shoulder, and relatives fan family members with paper sheets as staff move through beds with intravenous fluids. The pressure on staff is immense.
Abhiyant Tiwari, a climate and health expert at New Delhi-based NRDC India, explains that while Banda has always had hot summers, climate change is increasing the intensity, duration, and exposure of people to dangerous heat. High nighttime temperatures are particularly concerning, preventing physical recovery from the day’s heat. The top government official in Banda, District Magistrate Amit Aasery, stated authorities have opened cooling centers, distributed hundreds of thousands of oral rehydration kits, and monitored hospitals. He added that officials are studying groundwater levels, soil moisture, and vegetation loss while working to improve water supplies and public awareness. Aasery concluded, however, that there is only so much they can do, calling it a “global phenomenon” and stating, “We are the recipient of this.” These measures offer temporary relief but do not address the systemic drivers of the crisis that disproportionately impact the working poor.