By Michael E. Sanchez
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW DEHLI, India-At least 100 people have died in a cold wave sweeping through northern India. The majority of deaths have occurred in the states of Uttar Pradesh.  In Uttar Pradesh the death toll has reached over 70 people.

Most of the deaths have taken place among the homeless and the elderly, and the local authorities have been asked to arrange shelter for vulnerable citizens.  The region saw its first snow fall on Sunday.  The snowfall which began early was recorded at over 10 centimeters by Sunday evening, with additional snowfall through Tuesday.  Temperatures in the region have been below freezing, with spells of rain bringing down the maximum temperature.  Scores of citizens die in India every year, being ill-equipped to deal with the extreme cold.  Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are among the northern states which have been hit hardest by intense cold weather.

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 25 states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, which includes access to housing, medical care,and necessary social services.

In Uttar Pradesh, the victims were mostly poor people who were sleeping on the streets or out in the open.  Uttar Pradesh chief bureaucrat Arun Kumar Gupta said all schools were shut down until Thursday as a health precaution. On Monday, Gupta said state authorities decided to spend 100 million rupees (2.17 million dollars) to hand out free blankets and firewood to the needy in the area.  In India, there are few homeless shelters in Indian cities, and although  blankets and firewood have been distributed,  the authorities’ efforts have been inadequate in the face of the intense cold.

Government spokesman Diwakar Tripathy said an exercise was underway to move the homeless into state-run night shelters.

In addition to cold-related deaths, heavy fog caused by rain and the cold wave resulted in visibility problems which caused two separate train accidents on Saturday, leaving 10 dead, and nearly 50 injured.

According to weather officials, temperatures are expected to stay low over the next few days.

For more information, please see:

BBC News- ‘Dozens of People’ Die in India Cold Wave– 4 January 2010

IBN Live- Cold Wave Grips North India, At Least 100 Dead – 4 January 2010

Associated Foreign Press- More Than 40 Die In India’s Cold Wave: Officials– 4 January 2010

United Nations- Universal Declaration of Human Rights