‘No Other Choice’: Delhi’s Street Vendors Fight for Survival in Extreme Heat
In the face of one of the most brutal heat waves yet, street vendors in Delhi struggle to keep business afloat.
By: ANOUSHKA RAJESH
Extreme heat impacts some groups more drastically than others. Who are the people most impacted by climate change? How has it altered lives, and how can we mitigate the health risks? This week, we are bringing you these lesser-told stories.
Rehan Khan's day starts at 5 am. The 29-year-old has to travel 26 kilometres to the fruit mandi in Azadpur every other day, before setting up his stall in South West Delhi's Chattarpur area at 9 am.
"I'm out here till 9 pm every day. It's brutal, but I have to do it," he says, as he sprinkles water on the browning bananas and mangoes on his cart. "I have parents and a sister back home who are all dependent on me. This is my only rozgar (source of sustenance)."
The national capital along with large parts of northern India is currently seeing one of the longest and most brutal heat waves yet.
So far over 110 people in India have died of suspected heat-related illnesses, while the National Capital Territory (NCT) including Delhi alone has reported 34 deaths. The real numbers are likely higher.
In this punishing heat, how are those who are forced to spend peak hours outdoors, pushing a cart full of fast-perishing produce, coping?
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