NEW DELHI: It is 5 a.m. and Algarathnam Natarajan is already in his van, fitted with two large water containers, ready to drive through Delhi’s poor neighborhoods and refill the earthen water pots he has installed there. This has been his daily routine throughout the summer for the past decade.
With Delhi temperatures routinely rising above 40 degrees Celsius from May to early July, many of the city’s millions of poor residents struggle to stay safe and cool, as most can hardly even afford potable water.
Natarajan realized 10 years ago how big the necessity was, and as he considered different ways to help, an acquaintance suggested that he should rely on the earthen coolers known as matka, which have been used on the Indian subcontinent for millennia.
When these pots are filled, water sinks into their pores. As it evaporates, heat is extracted from the air inside the pot, and as a result everything inside stays cold.
Matkas also keep the water clean, and they can reduce the liquid’s temperature by some 8 degrees Celsius — a big relief when heatwaves strike.
