Heatwave Samaritan: Delhi’s ‘Matka Man’ Delivers Lifeline to the Urban Poor

New Delhi– As temperatures in India’s capital routinely climb above 40 degrees Celsius during the summer months, a 77-year-old Delhi resident is providing thousands of liters of drinking water each day to low-income communities through a self-funded network of traditional earthen pots, helping vulnerable residents cope with extreme heat.

Algarathnam Natarajan, known locally as the “Matka Man,” begins his day before sunrise, driving a van equipped with large water containers across neighborhoods in Delhi to refill nearly 100 clay pots installed in public areas. The initiative, which he launched a decade ago, is aimed primarily at serving daily wage laborers, rickshaw pullers, delivery workers and children who often struggle to access affordable potable water during the city’s hottest months.

Natarajan said he currently maintains 98 earthen pots, known as matkas, across his neighborhood and adjoining areas. The vessels, widely used across the Indian subcontinent for centuries, naturally cool water through evaporation as moisture seeps through their porous walls and dissipates heat from the contents.

The retired businessman distributes about 4,000 liters of water every day during the summer season, making two rounds to refill the containers. His first trip carries roughly 2,000 liters of water, followed by another 2,000 liters after replenishing the tanker.

“It’s mostly to serve poor people, rickshaw pullers and laborers,” Natarajan said. “Every man is entitled to have water, poor or rich.”

A cancer survivor who previously operated souvenir shops in London, Natarajan returned to India in 2010 and settled in Delhi. Since then, he has been involved in a range of social initiatives, including work with nongovernmental organizations, orphanages and terminal care facilities.

He said the water-distribution effort is financed largely through his pension and investment income, supplemented occasionally by donations. Rather than viewing the initiative as charity, Natarajan describes it as sharing resources with the wider community.

The effort comes as heat exposure remains a growing concern across Indian cities, where prolonged periods of extreme temperatures place additional pressure on low-income households with limited access to cooling infrastructure and reliable water supplies.

Residents who regularly use the public water stations say the initiative has become an important source of relief during the summer.

“Water is life,” said courier worker Prabhakar Jha, who frequently stops at one of the matkas on his way to work. “Hundreds of people drink water from here.”

Natarajan said he hopes more residents in affluent neighborhoods will take similar steps to support vulnerable communities, including providing free access to drinking water outside their homes during periods of intense heat.