Bengaluru is waking up to a version of itself that feels unfamiliar. A city known for its mild weather is now starting the day under harsh sunlight and dry, still air. According to the latest updates from the India Meteorological Department, temperatures have climbed to 36.6°C at stations across Bengaluru and are expected to hover around 37°C in the coming days. With a continuing rainfall deficit drying out the city, the heat is beginning to take a visible toll on people, produce, and daily life in its markets.
The rising temperatures come amid a prolonged dry spell. Since the beginning of the year, Bengaluru has recorded a rainfall deficit, leaving the air with little moisture and making the heat feel harsher than usual. Meteorologists say a combination of weather systems, including a trough running across parts of peninsular India and an upper air circulation over coastal Tamil Nadu, has limited rainfall while allowing temperatures to climb.
To understand how this is affecting daily life, TNM visited local markets and spoke to vendors across the city.
In Russell Market, the historic heart of the city’s trade, Mohammad Shah Nawaz, a 60 year old fruit vendor, said the weather has affected the sales. “The public doesn’t step out as much, therefore customers are less,” he said.
Mohammed said he had no other choice but to throw out the wilted produce which easily perishes in this heat. “The previous year, business was far better. Now as a result of the war the amount of goods we receive has significantly dropped. Transportation charges have increased due to the LPG gas shortages and on top of all this is the harsh weather,” he said,
“We haven’t received much help from our government. Only during election periods do they come to us for help, but we never receive any help in return”, he added.
Syed Azrad, a 56 year old flower vendor who TNM spoke to, has been working in this line of business since the 1990’s. “I open at 7am and close by 10pm at night. Though my timings haven’t changed as of yet, flowers that usually last for 2-3 days are now wilting away within 24 hours. To make sure the flowers remain lively throughout the day in this heat I often sprinkle water over them,” he said.
Vegetable vendor Amjad Nawaz, who has worked there for the past 45 years, said customers nowadays buy in lesser quantities, and quite often bargain for lower rates.
In the streets of Malleshwaram, at the 8th cross road market, young students sure do hover around the Nandhini Milk Booth, to grab an ice-cream or cool themselves down with buttermilk, but the vendors TNM spoke to in and around the area report of lesser footfall, and wish for some assistance from the government to be able sustain their livelihoods in this extreme weather.
Near T Dasarahalli, vendors are facing a similar plight. “All I can possibly do is cover the flowers with a wet cloth, but this weather is really too hot”, Narasamma, a 60-year-old flower vendor told TNM. Abdul Majid, another vendor who spoke to TNM, said he pours cold water on the betel leaves so that they don’t shrivel too soon.
Santosh, a vegetable store owner, who also supplies his goods to an apartment in Nagasandra said the produce perishes at some point or the other no matter how hard they try to keep it fresh. “That’s just how hot it has become, we are definitely incurring a loss,” he said.
Srinivas, a 45-year-old tender coconut seller said sales have been better because it is summer season, but the heat is unbearable at times, “I have to stay out in the open throughout the hot day,” he said.
When will it end?
While the immediate outlook remains dry and hot for the Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts through April 26, the IMD has provided a glimmer of hope for the upcoming week. According to IMD, a shift in the weather pattern is forecast to begin on Monday, April 27, with light rain and thundershowers expected to hit the city.
These showers, which could continue through April 29, may also be accompanied by gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph, providing a much-needed break from the relentless sun.
The IMD’s 48-hour local forecast for Bengaluru City and its neighborhood anticipates a mainly clear sky, with maximum temperatures very likely to remain around 37°C and minimum temperatures around 23°C .
The IMD suggests this peak heat will persist for the immediate future, with an expected increase in maximum temperatures by 2-3°C across the state over the next few days.
This article was written by student interns working with TNM.