Migrants living on streets of Paris struggle in extreme heat

Migrants living in a Paris camp struggled to cope with scorching heat as a persisting heatwave sent temperatures skyrocketing to record highs in the city on Wednesday (June 24).

The mercury is set to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the French capital on Wednesday, according to weather forecaster Meteo France. This would be the first time the city sees temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius in June.

At the camp in northern Paris, hundreds of migrants tried to find refuge from the heat, sleeping in their tents and drinking water from faucets installed by the city during the days-long heatwave.

“It’s very difficult to live in the tent. I can’t live a life here, it’s very difficult,” said Arsalan, a 25-year-old migrant from Afghanistan.

He said the heat was making him dizzy and that many people in the camp have been getting sick due to the sizzling weather.

Eritrean migrant Hanivall, 23, said he has been drinking water and drenching his head to combat the heat. He also goes to the nearby canal to go for a swim to cool down.

"It's danger for some people. For me it's okay, for some people it's not okay… Homeless life is not okay,” he said.

Some 1,800 migrants have been living in the streets of Paris, a number that has doubled in recent months, said Vincent Beaugrand, the director general of France Terre d’Asile, an association supporting migrants and asylum seekers.

The association normally works on administrative and social support for migrants and does not distribute food and beverages. But during the heatwave, volunteers have been making rounds to provide water bottles in Paris’ encampments.

Beaugrand said that although installing faucets around camps is a good immediate solution to alleviate homelessness, the government should focus on widening access to housing for migrants in the long run.

“Today, we're talking about heatwave risks, but there are also risks of violence and being assaulted," he said. 

“The true structural measures are… to house everyone living in the street.”

Camera: Marco Trujillo, Ardee Napolitano, Production: Ardee Napolitano, Abdul Saboor, Editing and Writing: Ardee Napolitano/Reuters