In Pictures

In Pictures: India’s homeless bear brunt of record cold

Capital New Delhi broke record for coldest December day in 119 years on Monday, compounding miseries of the homeless.

Holding his 10-months old granddaughter in the lap, Mohammad Akram, 71, lives on the footpath from last many years along with his family of seven including three daughters. “Shelter homes popularly ca — Holding his infant granddaughter in the lap, Mohammad Akram, 71, said he has lived on the footpath for many years with his family of seven. 'Shelter homes are not safe for my daughters as they are filled with drug peddlers and gamblers, who abuse everyone staying there,' said Akram. 'The cold is unbearable and we don't have enough firewood.' [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

New Delhi, India – The Indian capital of New Delhi entered 2020 reeling under an intense cold wave, with the homeless people on its streets bearing the maximum brunt.

The Delhi government set up nearly 200 night shelters, but they are not enough to host all the city’s homeless, forcing hundreds of them to spend their nights in the open.

“We have around 40 beds which can accommodate a maximum of 60 people, depending on the size of the families who can share a bed,” Sunil Kumar, who manages a night shelter near the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, told Al Jazeera.

“We can provide two or three blankets a person, but it doesn’t serve the purpose in such biting cold. There should be some room heaters too,” he said.

While some kept themselves warm by lighting bonfires on the sidewalks, dense fog blanketed the city on Wednesday with the night temperature falling to 2.4 degrees Celsius (36.3 degrees Fahrenheit), disrupting road, air and rail traffic.

On Monday, the Indian capital recorded its coldest December day since 1901, with the maximum temperature plummeting to the lowest ever at 9.4C (48.9F).

“The maximum temperature also dipped to less than 10 degrees in large parts of northern India,” Kuldeep Shrivastava, head of the regional weather forecasting centre in New Delhi told Al Jazeera.

Apart from the capital, Indian states and territories that continued to face a severe cold wave included Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

“Usually temperature dips in the month of January, but this time mercury has broken the record of decades in December itself,” Shrivastava added.

The dense fog has disrupted movement of transport leading to cancellation of flights at Delhi’s International Airport and delay to many inbound trains. “29 Delhi-Bounds trains are delayed by at least — The dense fog disrupted transport, leading to the cancellation of flights at New Delhi airport and train delays. Railway officials said 29 New Delhi-bound trains were delayed on Wednesday. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

Riku Devi, 40, who came all the way from central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh for her treatment feels lucky to have managed a space inside the shelter home but is equally concerned about the people — Riku Devi, 40, who came from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh for treatment, said she feels lucky to have managed a space inside a shelter home. 'It is a good initiative by the government. Though it is still cold inside, it is far better than what people on the streets face,' said Riku Devi at a shelter outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

The dense fog covering the state has further deteriorated the Delhi Air Quality with Wednesday morning air quality index touching to ‘Hazardous’ 999. — The dense fog further deteriorated New Delhi's air quality with Wednesday touching a 'hazardous' level. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

Living under the Lajpat Nagar flyover, Noor Bi, 62, has faded memories of her past. She claimed to be from Delhi but is not sure how she ended up living on the street. “Son, this cold is unbearable, I — Living under a flyover near the popular Lajpat Nagar market, Noor Bi, 62, had faded memories of her past. She claimed to be from Delhi itself but was not sure how she ended up living on the streets. 'Son, this cold is unbearable. I have never felt so much cold in my entire life. I think I will die here,' she said as she received another blanket from a volunteer. 'I cannot walk properly. Here people give me food and blankets,' she said. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

There are no means of heating for the people living in open, so they burn trash, collected from nearby shops, which includes, paper, cardboard and sometimes pieces of twigs to keep them warm. — Homeless in New Delhi are often seen collecting rubbish from nearby shops and burning it to keep themselves warm. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

Not only Human, animals too feel cold: People have covered their domestic cattle with Jute sacks to save them from the biting cold in Delhi. — Some people covered their domestic animals with jute sacks to save them from the biting cold. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

Health Experts have advised people to stop going away for the morning walks and use face masks while out in the fog. “First it is better to stop going for morning walk, in case you still want to conti — Health experts have advised people to stop going out for morning walks and use face masks. 'In case you still want to go, wear multilayer clothes and cover your face with a good mask,' said Dr Imtiaz Ahmad, a pulmonologist working in a private hospital in New Delhi. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

An early morning tea to beat the cold. Though the India Meteorological Department on Wednesday early morning said that the temperatures have increased by 3-4°C over Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh, Utta — Early morning tea to beat the cold! Though India's weather department on Wednesday said the temperature increased by 3-4C in several areas in the north, Delhi remained in the grip of cold. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

Over the past two weeks, mornings have been mostly cold with people finding it difficult to come out of bed. Children being the most vulnerable in this cold. — Homeless children have been the most vulnerable in the continuing cold wave. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]

Indian met Officials say though the temperature will be slightly better in the coming week, but it has so far been the harshest winter for the people living in the National Capital. The wind speed has — Indian officials say though the temperature may increase slightly in the coming week, it has so far been the harshest winter for the people living in the capital, with the wind speed increasing to 15km (9 miles) an hour. [Nasir Kachroo/Al Jazeera]