More than 150 km away from Banda – the hottest place in India, residents of Shankargarh district in Uttar Pradesh are suffering from a severe water crisis amid the ongoing heatwave. As temperatures rise across the state, many villagers have to walk nearly 10 kilometers daily to fetch water.
A resident told news agency ANI: “There is a big problem here. We have no water facilities and no electricity either. This problem happens all the time… We always have to fetch water from far away places, and travel at least 10 kilometers to get it… This problem has been going on for years, but no one listens to us… 150 people live here…”
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Severe water shortage in Shankargarh district of Prayagraj has forced thousands of residents to struggle for drinking water as temperatures continue to remain above 40 degrees Celsius during the ongoing heatwave.
What the authorities say
Responding to concerns over water scarcity in Shankargarh district, Additional District Magistrate Vineeta Singh said the administration has issued instructions to conduct an immediate review of the situation and make necessary repairs to the water infrastructure.
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“…We have made special efforts in this regard. We have spoken to them via video, and we will get back to them. Instructions have been issued from here, asking them to review the arrangements and, if necessary, hand over the tankers immediately,” she told news agency ANI.
Vineeta Singh also said that extreme heat warnings were widely distributed through the media and local groups to spread awareness among residents.
“Continuous heatwave warnings have been issued for the past 23 days. We have issued an advisory on this at our level and distributed it to various media groups and other groups,” Singh told news agency ANI.
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She added that cooling facilities and emergency water arrangements have been established in several parts of the district.
The hottest place in India is in UP
Shankargarh is just about three hours away from UP’s Banda, a place that has been identified as the hottest in India currently. The city takes on a deserted appearance after 10 a.m. every day, with shops mostly closed and roads empty, not because of a ritual, but because of the intense heat.
On April 27 this year, Banda recorded 47.6°C, the hottest temperature anywhere in India on that day and its highest temperature since 1951, surpassing the previous peak of 47.4°C for the month, which was reached on April 30, 2022 and April 25, 2026. Banda in Banda was India’s warmest for the fourth day in a row on Wednesday at 48°C after setting a record high of 48.2°C. Tuesday.
