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New Delhi: By midday on Thursday, the heat outside Jama Masjid metro station felt almost physical, like it was pressing down on people.People walked quickly. Some had handkerchiefs wrapped around their faces.
Women shielded themselves with dupattas. Others wiped sweat from their foreheads.Just outside gate 3, the air changed inside a large tented enclosure that had come up there. It was Delhi govt’s newly introduced “cooling zone”. The entrance listed what is inside: a water cooler, ORS, first aid.With the temperature touching 45 degrees Celsius, this tent, equipped with 10 air coolers, was like a pause button for people who have to be out and about, said Renu.
She was visiting the facility the second time.Some people entered hurriedly and left within minutes. Others stayed longer, resting in the chairs in front of the air coolers.The cooling centre, set up under govt’s heatwave action plan 10 days ago, can accommodate about 80 people at once. Besides the air coolers, it has some fans and a water cooler and dispenser. ORS packets are distributed to anyone who needs one, along with caps and gamchas.
Autorickshaw driver Sanjay Kumar Dubey has already made this place a part of his day. He stops here once or twice daily. “By afternoon, driving is impossible. I come here, drink water, sit in front of the cooler for a few minutes and then continue,” he said.But the relief here had its limitations. Dubey walked to the water dispenser and touched the stream of water running from it. “Itni garmi mein aadmi ko aur kya chahiye? Sirf thanda paani. Agar woh bhi na mile toh phir kya fayda? (In this heat, what else does a person need? Just cold water. And if even that isn’t available, then what’s the point?)” he said.
Others nodded. It turned out that the stabiliser in the water cooler had already needed repairing twice. It was again out for fixing.Dubey also felt a single water cooler was inadequate for the number of people using the tent. At least three were needed, he said. At that time, about 30 people were on chairs, and some more had walkied in.For many who spend their days working under the open sky, the heat is something they have to face. Avdesh, a labourer working at a nearby construction site, gestured towards the hot gusts of wind sweeping through the road outside and said, “Jiske paas ghar ya daftar mein AC hai, use shayad pata bhi nahin chalega ki bahar kya haal hai (someone sitting in an airconditioned home or office probably has no idea what the condition is outside).
This is much needed.”As he spoke, a Delhi Jal Board tanker parked nearby, and started feeding water into the dispenser. Minutes later, that same tanker began refilling the air coolers. When asked whether the water being supplied was suitable for drinking, one of the workers handling the pipes seemed unsure.The tent is a shaded, but partially open on some sides, allowing waves of hot air to enter. The services listed at the entrance did not match what was on the ground.
There was no first-aid kit in sight on Thursday. Some visitors said that only one tent would not be able to meet the demand. More are needed.People kept trickling in. Nikki, who had come to visit a nearby temple, walked in after struggling with the heat outside. Pankaj, travelling from Bhajanpura towards India Gate, stopped briefly while changing buses. . Some labourers from a road repair site kept walking in at intervals.Most people just stared ahead, drinking water slowly, letting the cool air rest on their bodies.A desk near the entrance buzzed with activity as civil defence volunteer Saroj handed ORS packets, paper cups, caps and gamchas to outstretched hands. “Around 500-600 ORS packets arrive every day, and all are distributed. The response has been very good and people are benefiting. All the supplies arrive in the morning and are usually enough for the day. Water tankers come twice daily and the supply generally lasts,” Saroj said. Around her, people asked for cups of water and ORS.Outside the bubble, the hot wind was strong as ever.
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