NEW DELHI: Amid the cold wave sweeping through the national capital, many people are seeking refuge in night shelters, hoping to find food, shelter, and warmth to endure the freezing nights.
The India Meteorological Department has alerted about cold wave conditions across various regions of north India, encompassing Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and additional states.
Several locations in Delhi registered minimum temperatures of 5 degrees Celsius on December 15 and 16, as reported by the IMD. The department predicts foggy conditions in certain areas over the next three days.
Various night shelters throughout the capital provide relief to people from the harsh winter conditions.
Vicky Kanojia, who manages a shelter near AIIMS Delhi, explains that individuals requiring recovery from illness and injury, particularly those without family support, are directed to the shelter.
“This is a night and recovery shelter, so like anyone who is destitute, on the road or admitted in the hospital; who doesn’t have anyone to take care of them, they are sent here for recovery. Here we have an ambulance for people, we give them their medicines, food. In the morning they get tea, while in the afternoon and evening, they get their food. They get a bed for them, and blankets,” Kanojia said.
Sabho, who has been living in one of the night shelters for several years, expressed gratitude for the food, water, and blankets provided nightly to combat the cold. She resides in the shelter with her two children.
“I have been here for the last 8 years, I stay with my family here, with my two kids. Here I get to stay, get food, a blanket and I also get the facility to bath and go to the bathroom too,” Sabho said.
Rishi Kumar Mehta, the caretaker of a shelter in Sarai Kale Khan, highlighted the various facilities available for the residents, “They get a bed, blanket, water, every day they get chai, biscuits, food, everything. Everyone has their own personal bed, they have a covering too.”
Regarding healthcare access, he mentioned the proximity of a mohalla clinic, and for more severe cases, patients are transported via ambulance services to AIIMS.
Those without proper housing often seek refuge at railway platforms, whilst others gather around bonfires that are maintained throughout the night for warmth.
Mukesh, a resident near the Old Delhi railway station, described his difficulties in getting proper sleep during nights due to inadequate protection from the cold.
“There is a lot of cold, I work all day, and in night we make a fire and warm our hands. I don’t get proper sleep at night, just make a fire and get through the night,” he said.
Pradeep, a man near the railway station, shared how challenging it is for him to endure the freezing nights.
“We are surviving and going through somehow, I stay on the tracks. I am just going through and trying to warm my hands. I only have here to stay and work. There is no arrangement to sleep. The work isn’t as good as it used to be, but we still keep going,” he said.
