Living Through Extreme Heat: A Day in One of the World's Hottest Towns

Life in Banda, a town in northern India that has recorded some of the country's highest temperatures, is a daily struggle against relentless heat. Residents endure scorching temperatures even in the middle of the night, often without electricity, which prevents them from using basic cooling devices like fans. The constant search for relief includes hosing down with water or sleeping outdoors.

Global warming, primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is making heat waves in India more frequent and intense. Uttar Pradesh, the state where Banda is located, is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. In 2023 alone, a severe heat wave in parts of the state resulted in at least 119 deaths over several days. In May, temperatures in Banda hit 48.2 Celsius (118.8 Fahrenheit), marking one of multiple occasions this year when the town registered the country's highest daily temperature. Banda was also the hottest spot on Earth seven times this year, mostly in April, according to data from climatologist Maximiliano Herrera.

“

Everyone feels the heat, but because of our circumstances, we have to bear it.

Even as temperatures have slightly decreased since then, they remain stifling, exacerbated by rising humidity from seasonal rains. An Associated Press team visited Banda in June to document how residents cope. At 4 a.m., when the temperature is already 30 C (86 F), market workers like Munni Devi, 70, begin their day loading and unloading vegetables. Devi, who works with her four sons, notes that the heat has intensified annually, with this year being particularly severe. Despite the physically demanding nature of their work, they cannot afford to miss a day due to their circumstances.

Devi explains that unreliable power supply to her home offers little respite. Her grandchildren rely on being sprayed with water from a hose for relief, as ceiling fans become useless during power outages that can last for hours. In the afternoons, while many who can afford to stay indoors, some vendors and auto-rickshaw drivers continue working outdoors. Meanwhile, 70-year-old animal lover Shobharam Kashyap is dedicating his time to building wooden birdhouses at his home, a small effort to protect local wildlife from the extreme heat.

“

If there is no power, even the ceiling fans don’t work. Sometimes there is no power for hours.