More than a thousand rough sleepers have died on the streets and in temporary shelters across Delhi since January 2018.In only the first half of May, at least 92 homeless people have died on the streets of the capital, bringing the number of documented unidentified deaths to more than 40,000 since 2004. Out of these deaths, 80 per cent are of people without homes.The figures compiled by the Centre for Holistic Development (CHD) show that on an average, 45 homeless people die every week in the city due to the heat wave in May and June. They also die in their sleep due to hunger. The police collect such bodies and cremate them if they are not claimed in two to three days.

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The data from the last 12 years shows that June is the worst month for homeless people, followed by July.The average age of homeless people who died this year was 40 years — about 30 years less than the average life expectancy of Delhi's population. Of these, 90 per cent were men.Homeless women, CHD's data shows, are more vulnerable to rape and murder, than hunger and weather calamity.

"The government does not cognise these deaths," said Sunil Kumar Aledia of CHD, "In winter, the government has shelters for the homeless, but not in summer, even though it is more painful and distressing than colder climes. Death among the homeless increases during summer due to dehydration, malnutrition, sick building syndrome, heat wave, etc."Professor Sanjukta Sattar, who studies the on homeless, found that, "Most homeless persons are engaged as casual wage labourers, rickshaw-pullers, construction labourers, shoe shiners, rag-pickers and domestic help."Institutions have varying estimates of the homeless population in Delhi. Census of India 2011 puts it at around 46,000, whereas the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates there are around 55,955 homeless persons in Delhi. In 2014, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) estimated there are only 16,760 homeless people in Delhi.

Independent organisations have estimated the number of homeless people is around 1,50,000 to 2,00,000, of which 10,000 are women.Delhi has only 197 working shelters, of which 113 are portacabins, 82 are permanent building and two are subway shelters. However, a DUSIB official claimed they have 257 shelters with the capacity of 20,600 people.An official said that about 13,000 homeless people stay in the shelters in winter, but leave in summer as most shelters are tin sheds that heat up.

Average age

The average age of homeless people who died this year was 40 years — about 30 years less than the average life expectancy of Delhi’s population. Of these, 90 per cent were men.