With orange alerts taking centre stage on our phone screens, summer no longer feels like just another season. It arrives with warnings, power cuts, restless afternoons and roads shimmering under a relentless sun. 

Across India, temperatures are crossing the 45-degree mark, heatwaves are growing longer, and stepping outside even for a few minutes feels exhausting. From crowded city streets to small towns, the scorching heat is slowly changing the rhythm of daily life.

Amid this unbearable summer, however, there are stories of communities refusing to watch their cities dry up under the sun.

One such story is unfolding in Maharashtra’s Akola, where temperatures recently soared to a blistering 45.6°C, making it one of the hottest regions in Vidarbha. 

As the city battles an intense heatwave, residents are not only trying to protect themselves from the rising temperatures, but also the trees silently fighting the heat alongside them.

Akola’s heat problem goes beyond high temperatures

For years, environmental experts have warned that rapid urbanisation, excessive concretisation, road expansion and large-scale tree cutting are making cities significantly hotter. Akola is now witnessing the effects........

© The Better India