Caste divisions intensify as heat and drought grip India's Bundelkhand

The Bundelkhand region, which straddles Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, is experiencing intensifying heat waves coupled with severe water scarcity that activists warn is deepening entrenched caste-based disparities. During the hottest months, lower-caste communities and marginalized groups face restricted access to water resources and face greater exposure to extreme temperatures due to residential segregation and economic disadvantage.

Community organizations working in the region report that while upper-caste households maintain access to private wells and stored water supplies, lower-caste settlements often lack adequate infrastructure to cope with prolonged droughts. The disparity extends to employment opportunities, as marginalized workers face hazardous conditions during peak heat with minimal protections or adequate wages.

Activists emphasize that climate vulnerability in Bundelkhand cannot be separated from existing social hierarchies that determine resource distribution and adaptive capacity. The combination of environmental stress and structural inequality creates a compounding crisis for India's most vulnerable populations in the region.

Government water management schemes and heat action plans have been criticized for failing to account for caste-based inequalities in their implementation, leaving marginalized communities disproportionately exposed to the dual threats of rising temperatures and dwindling water availability.