Banda, India Endures Record-Breaking Heatwave

Banda, a town in Uttar Pradesh, India, has recorded temperatures as high as 48.2 °C (118.8 °F), making it the world’s hottest spot on seven occasions this year. The extreme heat, intensified by climate change, follows a deadly 2023 heat wave that claimed at least 119 lives in the state.

Residents cope with frequent power outages that leave many without fans, resorting to water hoses, sleeping outdoors and starting work before dawn. Market vendor Munni Devi, 70, says, “Everyone feels the heat, but because of our circumstances, we have to bear it.” Hospital admissions for heat‑related ailments such as fainting and heatstroke have surged, filling wards with patients on benches.

Seventy‑year‑old animal lover Shobharam Kashyap and volunteers have installed over 15,000 painted birdhouses and clay water bowls to give birds relief from the scorching conditions, noting the cultural tradition of feeding birds.