The town of Banda in Uttar Pradesh has been experiencing extreme heat, with temperatures soaring up to 48 degrees Celsius. This has led to a deserted look in the town, with shops shut and roads empty. The heat has been recorded as the highest in India this year, surpassing its previous peak in 2022 and 2026.
Researchers have attributed the vulnerability of the Banda district to a climate crisis caused by years of localised ecological destruction. This has stripped away the natural systems that once moderated its climate.
The key reasons behind this include mining and blasting, which have destroyed the ecology and climate. Dust and debris clouds are released, trapping solar heat close to the ground surface and preventing natural cooling. River degradation has also occurred, with the Ken riverbed being stripped of its recharge capacity, leading to water running rapidly off the surface.
Groundwater collapse has also been a major issue, with the water table dropping to around 120 feet below the surface. Depletion of forest cover has also contributed to the rising temperatures, with an estimated 13.72 per cent of forest cover lost each year.
