Anuj Behal 
New Delhi: Shyam Bhatt, 39, has been living in the Fatehpuri shelter for the last six years. Before coming to the shelter, he spent 16 years living on the streets of Delhi after returning from his village in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. With the rising temperatures in Delhi, he affirms that the heat is more intense than in previous years. “Now even living in this shelter seems worse than being on the streets 10 years ago,” he said.
He added, “There are not even enough coolers here. You tell me, with a shelter hall occupied by 200-300 men at any point, do you think 5-6 coolers would be enough?”
What Shyam has been experiencing in the Fatehpuri shelter is common in most of the shelter homes in Delhi. In some shelters, there is no provision for coolers, while in others, the fans remain unrepaired, and there is no consistent supply of drinking water.
People in northern India are enduring a persistent heatwave lasting several weeks, with temperatures in the capital reaching record highs according to the government’s weather bureau. Heat-related deaths have surged, with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reporting 46 fatalities. Additionally, between May 1 and 30, there were 19,189 suspected cases of heat stroke reported across the country.
Partition walls created with curtains in family shelters exacerbate the intensity of heat by limiting air flow. Photo: Anuj Behal.
In another shelter home in Delhi’s Bangla Sahib, there are coolers that are still waiting to be fixed. Another pressing issue is the lack of drinking water, which affects both the residents and the caretakers of the shelter. Bangla Sahib, situated next to the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, has a capacity of around 300 people but it has no tapped water connection. The shelter has long been dependent on water tankers. According to the caretaker, Sourav, “The demand for water has been fulfilled by water tankers for a long time, but the supply has reduced since the onset of extreme heat. Sometimes the tanker doesn’t show up, or they send just one tanker when two are required.”
Santosh (in the yellow turban) underneath the dysfunctional fan in a shelter near Jama Masjid. Photo: Anuj Behal.
Santosh, 65, has been living in the shelter in the Jamal Masjid area for the last three months. He mentioned, “Neither the shelter has enough water, nor do these fans provide any respite from the heat. This fan over my bed has not been working for almost three weeks.” He added, “We are not even allowed to use our own personal table fans. How can one survive?”
The shelters in Mukherjee Nagar market, Mori gate and Idgah are facing similar water crises.
Men are restless in the heat at Chabi Ganj shelter, clustering around one of the two functional coolers. Photo: Anuj Behal.
‘Elections on’
When this reporter spoke to a senior official at the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), the shelter monitoring authority in Delhi, he agreed that these concerns were legitimate. The official, who chose to remain anonymous, stated, “We understand that there are issues with coolers and water in some shelters, but we will address them soon. The files have already been moved.”
This conversation took place while the Lok Sabha elections were on.
When asked about the reasons for the delay in provisions, the official added, “How can files be moved quickly when there are elections going on? Every government official is engaged in election work. We assure you that things will start running smoothly once the elections are over.”
‘Doesn’t really care’
However, civil society groups and activists have a different perspective. Indu Prakash Singh, an activist and member of the State Level Shelter Monitoring Committee (SLSMC), constituted by the Supreme Court in 2018, highlighted the larger incompetence of the DUSIB. “DUSIB doesn’t really care. Even before the elections, the situation was dire and has been a consistent problem in most shelters. Sanitation, water, and even desert coolers are not being taken care of. Blankets from winter are still not cleaned and managed properly for the next season. So, elections are just an excuse for inaction,” he said.
At the shelter at Mori gate, people are dependent on fans. Photo: Anuj Behal
He further criticised the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi for these issues, stating, “DUSIB works under the instruction of the Lieutenant Governor. He’s not even concerned. Under the LG’s order, DUSIB has already demolished nine shelters in Yamuna Pushta and Sarai Kale Khan, and five shelters in Dandi Park are closed. The demolition and closure of these shelters further exacerbate the inadequacy of the system. This shows his lack of intent toward the welfare of the homeless.”
Currently, there are a total of 195 shelters in the city, including 82 permanent structures (RCC buildings) in existing government buildings, 103 porta cabins made from tin sheets, and 10 shelters constructed under a ‘special drive’.
These shelters are highly inadequate, not just in terms of the services required during the heat but also in absolute numbers. According to independent experts, an estimated 200,000–250,000 individuals live in homelessness in Delhi. The current shelter system accommodates only 16,675 beds, serving less than 10% of the homeless population and pushing the rest to live on the streets.
Further, out of this 195 shelters, 103 shelters are porta cabins, i.e made up of tin sheets. This further exacerbates the impact of extreme heat.
Bunker beds restrict air flow, hindering even the air from fans. Additionally, the exhausts in the enclosed space at Fatehpuri shelter were not functional. Photo: Anuj Behal.
What Singh stated is also reflected in a 2023 report published by the Housing and Land Rights Network, which highlighted the incompetencies of DUSIB in managing shelters during the last summer, when there were no elections. The report indicated that both people living on the street and those in shelters shared similar anxieties around the unavailability of water, cooling devices, provision of food, and protection from vectors.
Kamal, 29, who works in Kashmere Gate, stays in a porta cabin shelter in Mori Gate. “Sitting inside here is even hotter than outside. The inside almost boils because there’s not enough ventilation,” he said. “Just creating four walls is not enough to call it a shelter.”
In the tin shelters around Britannia Chowk, people mentioned that the inside of the shelter is so suffocating during the day that they are pushed to stay underneath the shade of the flyover outside. As one woman said, “We only use the shelter to sleep at night and to safely store our belongings. What more can it offer?”
In shelters designated for families, privacy is maintained by thick curtains that create specific portions for each family. However, this further limits air flow and ventilation in the porta cabins, making the inside conditions even worse.
Outside the Fathepuri shelter. Photo: Anuj Behal.
Kamo, a 59-year-old woman, has constructed a temporary shed with a tarp sheet outside her tin shelter in Bangla Sahib. “At least there is some form of air I can feel on my face. Inside, I would suffocate,” she expressed.
Furthermore, while Delhi provides temporary shelters for homeless individuals during winter to protect them from severe cold, no such provisions are made by DUSIB during extreme heat waves and high temperatures.
The effects of extreme heat are evident on the human body, with homeless individuals facing even more pronounced adverse impacts due to a lack of mitigation mechanisms and resources to cope.
While DUSIB set up various tents across the city under its winter action plan to help the homeless survive the bitter cold, no similar provisions can be seen during the summer months. The shelters set up during winter were dismantled on March 15 before the onset of summer.
This inadequacy of basic infrastructure and cooling mechanisms worsens the impact of heat on homeless individuals. What’s glaring is that Delhi’s Heat Action Plan released in 2023 completely overlooks the critical needs of the city’s most vulnerable: the homeless.
Anuj Behal is an independent journalist and urban researcher primarily focusing on issues of housing rights, urban justice, gender, and sexuality.