In Delhi's Bastis, Women Feel The Heat Of Climate Change

Navigating through Pehalwan Chowk in Batla House in South Delhi was like being in a maze. The narrow lanes with small shops, eateries and residential buildings on either side, the open drains, the piles of garbage, slushy 바카라�roads바카라�, and the incessant blaring of horns left us dizzy. Yet, we kept walking in the direction of the banks of the Yamuna바카라�following the stench바카라�in search of stories; to meet people, particularly women, who are bearing the brunt of climate change, and who, despite not knowing the magnitude of the crisis or its root cause, are disproportionately impacted by it. 

A few men followed us바카라�the 바카라�media waale바카라�바카라�urging us to highlight their issues. 바카라�No one from the government comes here,바카라� they said. Women stepping out of their houses to buy cans of drinking water looked at us curiously바카라�it was humid, and we were drenched in sweat.   

A little ahead바카라�in an area known as 바카라�bees foota바카라� (20 feet wide)바카라�the lanes became narrower and government apathy was even more apparent. A few children led us to the basti that had come up on the banks of a non-existent Yamuna바카라�the river here was visible only in patches; the remaining area was all slush and mud. On the left, there was a nearly three-foot tall pile of garbage that had accumulated on the banks after the downpour on June 28. Mosquitoes and flies were buzzing around; the stench was unbearable. 바카라�We can바카라�t eat even one morsel without feeling nauseous,바카라� said Regina Khatoon, 40. 

Originally from Bihar, she moved to Delhi two years ago after her husband remarried. She lives in a tiny room with her three children바카라�her elder son, 18, is mentally challenged; her daughter is 15 and her younger son is 11. Their educational journey came to an abrupt halt during the pandemic, and it ended after they moved to Delhi. 

The room was dark with no source of ventilation. There was no furniture in the room; just one gas stove and a few ration items in one corner and piles of clothes in the other. A small cooler kept in the room was a misfit. 바카라�This second-hand cooler was given to me a week ago by the seth where I work as a domestic help. I won바카라�t use it. I can바카라�t afford to pay the electricity bill. I earn only Rs 5,000 a month; Rs 2,500 goes in paying the rent and the rest is spent on ration and buying drinking water,바카라� she said.  

This summer was difficult. 바카라�I have never experienced something like this before,바카라� she said, talking about the prolonged and intense heat wave that lasted the whole of May and half of June. 바카라�Look at my hands; there are boils, rashes and blisters. Even my children have these. We have one small fan, which didn바카라�t help during peak summer. Cooking two meals a day in this room was torturous; sleepless nights were exhausting. I had to go to the doctor a couple of times after feeling giddy because of the heat. It meant additional expense,바카라� said Khatoon. 

When she was told that the heat waves would probably get more intense in the coming years, she was shocked. When asked why, according to her, the summers are getting hotter, she paused for a while and said: 바카라�Bhagwaan jaane. Par aisa hi raha to hum garib logo ka kya hoga. Aapke ghar to AC hai. Hum kya karenge.바카라� 

The summer situation was hopeless, but Khatoon had developed coping mechanisms to deal with the unbearable heat. It helped her, at least emotionally. 바카라�Kabhi kabhi me mobile pe barfile pahado ke photo dekh leti thi. Lekin sach batau to garmi itni thi ki mar jaane ko dil karta tha바카라�. She was aware that the snow-capped mountains were elusive and her tiny house with one fan was her unfortunate reality. 

***

On the same muggy afternoon, we met Sumitra Samantry, 47. She was sitting in her small grocery shop, overlooking the Hazrat Nizamuddin station바카라�s railway tracks. Occasionally, goods and passenger trains passed by. People crossed the tracks when it was all clear. That was the only way to commute as the subway was still submerged in waist-deep slush after the June 28 rain. 

바카라�There was water everywhere in Sarai Kale Khan basti days after it rained. We were desperately waiting for rain but when it rained, it brought along with it fresh miseries,바카라� said Samantry. 

She moved to Delhi from Medinipur, West Bengal, 27 years ago and lives in a one-bedroom flat with her self-employed husband and two children바카라�her daughter, 15, and her son, 18. 바카라�Mental torture바카라� was how she described this summer. 바카라�We have no control over the heat and the humidity, but the other factors made it worse. For hours, there used to be no electricity. We would get water only twice a day바카라�one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. Our entire life went for a toss.바카라� 

When asked if it바카라�s even more difficult for women, she said: 바카라�Working women like me are also home managers. Often, we get little or no help. I would dread cooking. Sometimes we would order, but not frequently. The monthly budget had to be kept in mind. No matter what the situation is, there is no respite for women from their caregiving duties.바카라�

She feels the heat situation has gotten much worse in the past two-three years. 바카라�This summer, we had to invest in a cooler. They don바카라�t help much in Delhi바카라�s climate, but at least they are better than fans. Last month, my electricity bill came to Rs 3,000, which is a lot, but we would have fallen sick if we had not bought the cooler, she said.바카라�

She is aware that 바카라�mausam badal raha hai바카라� and thinks it바카라�s probably because we are cutting too many trees and not planting new ones. She thinks she is fortunate as she is better placed to deal with the badalta mausam. 바카라�Look at all these people,바카라� she said, pointing at the dozens of porters on the other side of the Hazrat Nizamuddin station who were busy loading and unloading parcels from the trains. 바카라�There are so many who must step out to earn. They were working throughout May-June.바카라� 

***

The next day, our destination was Geeta Colony in East Delhi. The area was hit by a severe water crisis amid the heatwave during the summer. Protests by residents and political blame games made headlines. While walking through the lanes, a burqa-clad woman approached us and introduced herself as Ruksana. She insisted we visit her gali where people were still dealing with the water crisis. 

Piles of garbage at the entrance, open drains and flies and mosquitoes gave us a sense of déjà vu. The other ladies from the neighbourhood came out, too, to share their water woes. The presence of cameras gave them hope; that their voices would be heard and that things would change. 

Ruksana (56), Ruby (52) and Rekha (55) elaborated on how, for the past 1.5 years, they have been getting contaminated water. They barely get one bucket of clean water and then black and yellow water gushes out of the taps. The borewell has limited capacity and during summer this water had to be used judiciously. Because the complaints made to the government officials fell on deaf ears, they devised a way to help each other out. For instance, Ruksana does not have a private borewell connection, so Rekha supplies water to her from her borewell with the help of pipes. This is their everyday ritual. But water wasn바카라�t the only issue they dealt with this summer. The intense heat was the bigger enemy. 

The three live in a one-room set and, on average, have 6-8 members in their house. Sometimes, guests come over. This summer, the three households used the coolers they have to their full capacity, leading to the electricity bills shooting up to Rs 5-6,000. 바카라�This is a huge amount, beyond our means. We didn바카라�t have enough money to pay the bill before the due date. So, we ended up paying a little extra as a fine. We can바카라�t afford ACs, but coolers have become a necessity,바카라� said Rekha. 

Ruksana mentioned how during April-May-June, members of her family kept falling ill due to the heat. 바카라�The frequent visits to the doctor바카라�s clinic had an impact on monthly spendings,바카라� she said. 

바카라�Ab kya kar sakte hai,바카라� said Ruby when asked if women have to struggle more. 바카라�The extreme summer heat plus water scarcity was difficult to manage. Cooking three meals for my family of eight was a nightmare. Sometimes I would feel like taking a cold shower after cooking, but due to the water scarcity, even that wasn바카라�t possible,바카라� she said. 바카라�It바카라�s a simple fact. Menstruating girls and women need water, and it바카라�s depressing when there isn바카라�t enough water,바카라� she added.  

When asked to comment on the recurring heat waves, the three unanimously blamed the growing usage of ACs. 바카라�People living in the other lanes, who are a little better off, have installed ACs. Those lanes are definitely warmer than ours,바카라� said Ruby. 

Ruksana blamed it on the lack of trees. 바카라�Look at our area. There are no trees. It바카라�s so congested that it바카라�s impossible to grow trees here. Hence these areas will keep getting warmer,바카라� she said. 

***

Standing amid piles of garbage in a dump yard a little away from Geeta Colony, sixty-year-old Savitri Devi, who has never been to school, or isn바카라�t too aware of what바카라�s happening in the world, was wise enough to draw the connection between the increased usage of ACs among rich people and the intense heat wave she had to experience this summer. 

Savitri, her husband and a few others were busy sorting garbage with bare hands. They get paid by the kilo. At the end of the day, municipality vans pick up the garbage bags. The working conditions at the dump yard were deplorable.  

Savitri and her husband live in a room close by with one of their sons, 18. They have been sorting garbage for a living for the past two years ever since they moved to this area. Together, they manage to earn Rs 5,000 per month. There is no scope to buy a cooler, which is now a necessity, they say. 바카라�I have lived in Delhi all my life, but it never used to be so hot. In the last two months, it was difficult to come to this dump yard and do our work. We had to take frequent breaks and spend a lot on buying clean drinking water. People would faint occasionally,바카라� says Savitri. 

When asked what could be done to minimise the impact of climate change, Savitri had a simple solution바카라�grow more trees.

(This appeared in the print as 'Feeling The Heat')