9 neighbours have shared what matters to them — in their own words.
“Yes, it's true that mango season has arrived, and in summer, mangoes are found in abundance. And the mangoes we have in Uttarakhand, they are not any special variety of mango. And every kind of mango you will find here. So mangoes, what do you say, do they come from outside?”
“हां, ये सही बात है कि आम का सीजन आ गया है और गर्मियों में आम काफी मात्रा में पाए जाते हैं और आम हमारे उत्तराखंड में जो आम है वो क्या कहते हैं कोई स्पेशल वैरायटी नहीं है आम की। और हर तरीके का आम आपको यहां पे मिलेगा। तो आम क्या कहते हैं क्या बाहर से आते हैं।”
translated from Hindi
Nearby, citizens express significant concern over the intense summer heat 🌡️, particularly in plain areas where traditional housing with tin roofs exacerbates discomfort due to a lack of adequate cooling resources. A critical issue is the widespread LPG gas cylinder scarcity and steep price increases, which are severely impacting both household budgets and the viability of small businesses like fast-food shops. Despite these challenges, there's a positive display of community resilience and adaptability 💡, with residents employing various personal coping mechanisms such as seeking natural shade, increasing water intake 💧, and relying on family resources for cooler environments. Institutions are also finding alternative energy solutions, highlighting a proactive approach to resource management.
“Yes, LPG gas cylinders have had a little impact on people. For example, here in our area, cylinders used to be available very easily. Now there is a little difficulty because people have to stand in very long queues to get cylinders, and there has been no change in prices. The price, which was previously ₹923, is now ₹1000. And cylinders are available, but there is nothing like that. And we are getting fuel properly. We can make it very easily.”
“We live in Uttarakhand, but we live in the plain area of Uttarakhand. It's not that cold here. The effect of heat is quite significant, and the house we have is, well, a kachcha (raw/unpaved) house with a tin roof. The tin gets very hot. So, what happens is we have to face a lot of heat, and we don't even have resources. There's one fan, and even that gives very cold air. There's no cooler or AC.”
“We experience a lot of heat here, and even though we are in Uttarakhand, we have to endure a lot of heat. And to protect ourselves from the heat, we drink more and more water and sometimes sit under trees. And we try to drink more cold water so that we don't feel the heat and don't wander much outside, staying around the house. Drink cold water.”
“No, this is not the question. In India, summer is associated with mangoes, which is absolutely correct. In our region, famous mangoes are Bumbaiya mango, Dasheri mango, and in this season, in this season, we haven't received many mangoes yet. Thank you.”
“When it's too hot here at home, we go to my aunt's place. Mom tells us not to go out of the house, so we just go to my aunt's place. There's a cooler installed there, and cool air comes. We stay there all day, then come home in the evening. In the evening, it's a bit better at home. Then we drink cold water for the heat. And we sit under the trees. We have quite a few trees here.”
“I don't know much about mango varieties, but whatever mango I get, I eat it. The best, and the best mango I like is from my own tree, because its taste is very delicious. And it's fun to eat it. It's a sweet mango. And here in Uttarakhand, mangoes don't grow much. All the mangoes come from outside. That's what they were saying.”
“Due to the shortage of LPG, our work has been greatly affected. We run a fast-food shop, so we need gas daily for that. And because of LPG gases, the price of gas for commercial usage has increased from 1000 to 3-4000 rupees, which makes it very difficult for us to procure it. This has also affected our work, and we have had to increase the prices of our items. What we used to sell for 30, we now sell for 40-50 after making it, because the price of LPG has become expensive, so things will also become expensive for us.”
“I study in college and my college is in Srinagar, Uttarakhand. So, I was quite affected by it. The college authorities started giving us food that consumed less energy. For some time, they even stopped giving bread. Sometimes they used to cook food using a stove. And now, to cope, I don't know anything specific, but now our holidays had started, so we came home.”
