ReliefWeb

Over 300 people have died, 38 in the past 24 hours alone, over the cold wave that has affected northern India. Most of the victims, poor and homeless, were noted in the area of Uttar Pradesh, where 262 people died as well as Bihar where 40 died. While the mountainous states have experienced temperatures between -4 and -20 degrees centigrade, in the state of Uttar Pradesh and other areas, the temperature was above the freezing mark; nevertheless, the poorest and homeless living on the streets are not used to even such mild cold and many died. Meanwhile, in the north, temperatures have been anywhere between eight and 12 degrees below the seasonal average, reaching the lowest temperatures in the past seven years in Punjab. It is feared that the situation will worsen as the winter continues. Extreme cold in winter and hear in summer leaves hundreds of dead among the marginalized every year. [AB]