New Delhi: A recent assessment of measures regarding summer preparedness at 24 Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (Dusib) shelters has flagged serious gaps in implementation of plans and lack of basic amenities. The field survey has also noted two heat-related deaths at a couple of the facilities.Centre for Holistic Development (CHD), a non-profit organisation that supports homeless individuals and communities, has conducted the assessment. It has written to govt authorities seeking urgent corrective action.Dusib, which functions under Delhi govt, operates 197 shelters across the capital with a combined capacity to accommodate nearly 17,000 people. While 82 of them function from permanent reinforced concrete (RCC) structures, the rest operate out of portable cabins. Apart from the homeless, many of its occupants are migrants from outside Delhi who put up near major hospitals where they get relatives treated.TOI had earlier reported that the board activated a summer control room at its headquarters to coordinate heat-response measures. Awareness campaigns and workshops are scheduled between May 1 and May 15 to educate staff and residents about heat safety. “We are working to ensure the residents have access to water and medical support. All shelters are being equipped to prevent heatstroke and dehydration, with special arrangements for meals and safe drinking water,” a Dusib official had said.However, CHD’s field survey, conducted to assess the implementation of the board’s Summer Action Plan 2026, paints a different picture. “The plan had mandated full preparedness by April 15, but the survey found major gaps in cooling, hydration and emergency support,” according to the survey that covered shelters at Sarai Kale Khan, Jama Masjid/Urdu Park/Meena Bazaar, Bangla Sahib, Old Delhi/Fatehpuri/Lahori Gate, and Mori Gate-Dangal Maidan.Among its key findings, around 50% of cooling units across the 24 shelters were non-functional. At Lahori Gate, 70% of fans and 71% of desert coolers were broken, while Sarai Kale Khan had no functional coolers. At the Jama Masjid shelter, frequent power tripping rendered cooling systems ineffective during peak heat.Nearly 40% of the facilities surveyed lacked permanent water connections. Several shelters, including those at Jama Masjid and Bangla Sahib, were found dependent on water tankers that arrive only once every 48 hours. ORS stocks were missing at Dangal Maidan and Mori Gate shelters despite it being mandatory.The report also documented two deaths, one at Fatehpuri and the other at Lahori Gate, which it attributed to extreme heat exposure. Residents reported dehydration and skin infections, while medical outreach was found to be negligible. At women’s shelters in Jama Masjid, machines vending sanitary pads were found to be empty.Sunil Kumar Aledia, CHD executive director, has written to the Delhi chief minister, National Human Rights Commission and Dusib, recommending immediate repair of non-functional cooling units at the shelters, setting up permanent Delhi Jal Board water connections, urgent supply of ORS and first-aid kits, and emergency protocol training for shelter management agencies.A senior Dusib official, however, contested the report’s findings. “Around 20% of the issues flagged were valid (at that time) and have been addressed. All 24 shelters are equipped now. Usually, the summer action plan begins on May 15, but it started earlier this year. Officials have been directed to ensure all arrangements at the shelters are in place by May 10,” the official said, adding that the two deaths were not directly caused by heat.
