Life under a Delhi flyover: how one homeless family endures the city’s extreme heat

Shahida, a young mother living with her extended family beneath a flyover in Delhi, faces the brutal realities of extreme heat while homeless in India’s capital. With daytime temperatures soaring above 43°C and nighttime lows rarely dropping below 32.4°C, Shahida and her nine-month-old daughter, Jannat, endure relentless exposure to the elements without reliable access to food, water, or healthcare. The family of ten, displaced multiple times after their makeshift shelters were demolished, now finds some refuge under the flyover’s shade, though the trapped heat there often becomes suffocating by midday. Delhi’s homeless population, estimated at over 300,000, remains among the most vulnerable to the city’s intensifying heatwaves, which have been exacerbated by climate change. Experts like Chandni Singh from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlight that homelessness compounds exposure risks with a lack of essential resources needed to cope with extreme temperatures. Last summer’s heatwave proved deadly, with at least 192 homeless individuals succumbing to heat-related causes over just nine days. For Shahida, the arrival of summer brings acute anxiety, especially concerning her infant’s health, as she worries about the baby’s ability to withstand the harsh conditions. The family’s struggle is emblematic of a broader crisis facing Delhi’s street dwellers, who are often pushed out of public spaces and denied stable shelter. Shahida’s attempts to rebuild homes have repeatedly been thwarted by demolitions, forcing her family to settle under the flyover where police interference is minimal unless high-profile figures pass by. This precarious existence underscores the urgent need for more effective urban policies and social support systems to protect vulnerable populations from the lethal impacts of climate extremes in rapidly growing cities like Delhi.