Banda records 48.2°C, India's highest this year as markets empty
Banda, a district in Uttar Pradesh, recorded a sweltering 48.2 degrees Celsius on May 19, the highest temperature in India this year and the hottest there since 1951.
Streets and markets empty out before noon, and farmers have switched to working at night under LED lights just to avoid the brutal daytime heat.
Deforestation and mining threaten Banda's future
A big reason behind Banda's extreme temperatures is years of environmental damage: think deforestation, mining, and farms spreading into forests.
Over the 2005 to 2021-22, forest cover has dropped by over 15%. Heavy sand mining in rivers like the Ken has made water even scarcer.
Experts warn that all this has turned Banda into a heat island, absorbing more heat and losing precious moisture.
If nothing changes, parts of Banda could become barren within two decades.