Heat Poverty in India’s Biggest Cities

 Vrinda Modi

Heat Poverty in India’s Biggest Cities

Growing up in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India’s seventh most populous city, I became familiar with the intense heat of Indian summers. The heat was so oppressive that school was frequently canceled, unable to continue under extreme temperatures. Even more vividly, I recall the tragic news of relatives and family friends, especially those who worked in construction, whose lives were claimed by heatstroke. Indian summers had become no joke. Between March 1 and June 18, 2024, alone, 110 people in India died from heatstroke, with over 40,000 reported cases, according to the Indian Health Ministry. Not to mention that this is likely an under-reported statistic since heat is often not cited as a reason on a death certificate. Dileep Mavalankar, former head of the Indian Institute of Public Health in Gandhinagar, stated, “This is just 0.3% of the total number of heatstroke cases recorded, but usually heat deaths should be 20 to 30% of heatstroke cases. We need to be counting deaths better. That is the only way we will know how severe the consequences of extreme heat are.” 

Over the past decade, global temperatures have reached record highs, with an increase of 1.2°C since the pre-industrial era (1850-1900), according to NASA. This global trend has intensified extreme heat in India, especially in rapidly growing cities. In 1901, only 11.4% of India’s population lived in urban areas, but by 2017, that number had surged to 34%, with cities like Delhi seeing some of the world’s fastest urban growth. While urbanization drives economic development, it also brings environmental costs—including increased greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and pollution. For developing countries like India, this is especially dangerous, as they often lack the infrastructure to manage such changes. With Delhi projected to become the world’s most populous city by 2028, and temperatures expected to rise up to 5°C, a pressing question arises: how will India’s people cope with this intensifying heat crisis?

Figure 1. Satellite visualization of the 2022 Indian-Pakistan heat wave, which was an extreme weather event that resulted in the hottest March in the subcontinent since 1901.

To make matters worse, it’s estimated that only 8% of India’s population owns an air conditioner, making it the world’s fastest-growing market for ACs. According to Hannah Ellis-Petersen, the Guardian’s South Asian correspondent, “A mixture of rising incomes, rising temperatures in an already hot and humid climate, and increasing affordability and access are driving more and more Indians towards buying or renting one as soon as they can afford it – and sometimes even when they cannot.” Air conditioning is no longer a luxury commodity, but a necessity to survive. 

What’s even more alarming is that these challenges disproportionately impact India’s poorest. Cheena Kapoor, a Delhi-based independent journalist, reports on the story of Maya Devi, a maid for a middle-class family in Delhi, who lives in a slum and earns a mere $50 a month. After enduring extreme heat for several summers, Devi borrowed $215 from her son’s employer last year to buy a second-hand air conditioner, hoping to prevent heat-related illnesses among her children. "We are a family of five living in a 6-foot by 4-foot room," she explains, noting that some family members sleep outside. “Some nights, we would all stay awake because the heat was unbearable, and humidity from the small water-run cooler would make it difficult to breathe. My three sons missed school [or] work several times after falling ill due to the heat, thus losing several days’ worth of daily wages. That’s why we decided to take a loan.” In the slum, where most residents are daily wage workers, about 150 out of the 800 residents now have air conditioners—purchased through loans or credit schemes. This trend contributes to "heat poverty," a term now common in India, as residents face high-interest loans (up to 15%) or lose wages due to extreme heat, pushing them deeper into poverty.

Additionally, over 20% of global electricity is used for fans and air conditioners, and in cities like Delhi and Mumbai, cooling accounts for 40% to 60% of total power demand—a share expected to grow as temperatures rise. In fact, India’s ACs alone are expected to demand more power than all of Mexico by 2035 and Africa by 2050. Yet, air conditioning is far from an ideal cooling solution. Most AC units rely on electricity produced from fossil fuels, which contributes to rising global temperatures by expelling heat outdoors. To make matters worse, AC units use chemical refrigerants that, if leaked, have nearly 1,500 times the environmental impact of CO2, intensifying the cycle of climate harm.

India’s cities are also threatened by the rise of “urban heat islands”, a phenomenon in which urban areas are warmer than surrounding rural regions due to heat trapped by land use, building materials, layout, reduced greenery, and heat emissions from human activity. We know the progression of urban heat islands is driven by population growth, pushing Indian cities to accommodate by building cheap infrastructure as quickly as possible using brick, steel, asphalt, and concrete. Little attention is given to cooling or ventilating homes beyond assuming residents will install AC, and heat-deflecting building materials traditionally used in India are now often overlooked. Although new efficiency codes exist, they are non-mandatory, and few developers opt for measures like white-painted roofs to reduce heat, prioritizing cost and speed.

Figure 2. Road markings appear distorted as the asphalt starts to melt due to the high temperature in New Delhi (Tyagi, H).

It’s no surprise that India grapples with widespread poverty while investing billions in upgrading its transport and urban infrastructure to enhance living standards. Under the 2016 Kigali Amendment, India is phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) for climate-friendly alternatives. Experts advocate for sustainable "passive cooling strategies," such as planting trees and designing effective ventilation systems, which could reduce cooling demand by 24% by 2050, saving $3 trillion and preventing emissions equivalent to 1.3 billion tons of CO2. Although that’s a long way to go, India has committed to reducing its power demand for cooling by 20-25% by 2038 under its Cooling Action Plan, including enhancing air conditioning energy efficiency. Inverter ACs, known for their superior efficiency, now dominate the market, with companies defaulting to a temperature setting of 24°C to optimize energy use. While renewable energy and climate-positive approaches are rapidly expanding in India due to governmental policies, the urgent need for equitable access and optimized cooling solutions remains unaddressed, which is reflected in the nationwide heat death count. 

I’m reminded of my own privilege when I return to India, enjoying the shelter of an air-conditioned home in Ahmedabad, a comfort increasingly out of reach for many. Yet, the thought of a city I cherish becoming unbearably hot feels like losing a piece of home itself. The stakes have never been higher, but the resilience and resourcefulness of its people might just provide the answer.


 


References

  1. Arasu, S., & Pathi, K. (2024, June 20). Extreme heat in India has killed more than 100 people in the past three and a half months. AP News; The Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/india-heatwave-deaths-heat-stroke-climate-change-880f26e3b8eeb066d2db2308502783d2

  2. Arasu, S. (2024, July 4). India likely undercounts heat-related deaths, tempering its response, officials say. PBS News; PBS News. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/india-likely-undercounts-heat-related-deaths-tempering-its-response-officials-say

  3. Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. (2024). Climate.nasa.gov; Earth Science Communications Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://climate.nasa.gov/%25C2%25A0/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1729902907807824&usg=AOvVaw2_Ogpr108d1zgA17wlGMRV

  4. Ellis-Petersen, H. (2023, December 5). “A matter of survival”: India’s unstoppable need for air conditioners. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/05/india-unstoppable-need-air-conditioners

  5. Sabur, R. (2015, May 29). The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/11636124/Indias-extreme-heat-wave-in-pictures.html

  6. Kapoor, C. (2024, July 16). “Heat Poverty”: A Growing Threat in India | Global Health NOW. Globalhealthnow.org; Global Health NOW. https://globalhealthnow.org/2024-07/heat-poverty-growing-threat-india

  7. Vivek, S. (2024, October 17). “New” India’s ACs alone will consume more power than all of Mexico by 2035. India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/india-acs-alone-will-consume-more-power-than-all-of-mexico-by-2035-energy-consumption-iea-report-2618282-2024-10-17

  8. Chauhan, A. (2024, July 13). The Republic of ACs: India’s growing need for cool air. The Indian Express; The Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/article/long-reads/republic-of-acs-intense-heatwaves-drive-sales-9450393/

  9. Mogul, R., & Iyer, A. (2024, January 7). Extreme heat is pushing India to the brink of “survivability.” One obvious solution is also a big part of the problem. CNN; CNN World. https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/06/india/extreme-heat-india-climate-ac-intl-hnk/index.html

  10. Biswas, S. (2023, April 18). Heatwave: Is India ready to deal with extreme temperatures? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-65299807

  11. Biswas, S. (2024, June 27). India heat: What record air conditioner sales reveal about heatwave. Www.bbc.com; BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw555ny3q9xo

  12. Biswas, S. (2024a, June 19). Delhi: Inside India’s first heat stroke emergency room. Www.bbc.com; BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn00nkzdvkjo

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