Trapped in Deadly Heatwave, Parisians Frustrated by Air Conditioning Restrictions

[Anchor]

While we are experiencing intense heat, the other side of the globe in Europe is truly trapped in a deadly heatwave. Although there were 4,700 excess deaths due to the heat last month, people in France are finding it nearly impossible to even install air conditioning units.

Paris correspondent Kwon Yeongin reports.

[Reporter]

In Andalusia, southern Spain, a wildfire has been burning for four days amid a heatwave exceeding 40°C (104°F), claiming 12 lives so far.

Some 1,400 people have been evacuated, and the damage spans 6,600 hectares, an area equivalent to 9,240 soccer fields.

In Paris, France, public swimming pools are packed with citizens trying to escape the heat.

The city of Paris has created three such pools along the Seine River and opened them to the public for free.

[Elias / Paris Resident: I have a fan at home, but the breeze is weak and it even blows hot air. So, it doesn't really help in cooling down the heat.]

As the deadly heatwave, with temperatures hovering around 40°C (104°F), has returned, most people are getting by with a single old fan, spending their days in the dark with window shutters closed.

[Claudine / Paris Resident: I have no choice but to keep the shutters closed during the day. I open them again in the evening when the heat subsides. My daily routine has become carrying a single fan around from place to place all day.]

The air conditioning penetration rate is only around 25%.

Although excess deaths in Western Europe due to the heatwave last month reached 4,700, people in France are currently unable to use air conditioning even if they want to.

To install an air conditioner, one must obtain permission from the city hall by providing documentation that the outdoor unit will not spoil the building's aesthetics, and must also secure the consent of more than half of the residents in the apartment complex.

Since this process usually takes several months, some people install them without permission.

[Philippe / Paris Resident: Neighbors can just oppose it for no reason. If that happens, you can't do anything. So, I chose not to ask at all.]

Even if consent is granted, the installation cost for an air conditioner with an outdoor unit exceeds 10 million won, and even those are fully booked for this summer.

Even after installation, units can be subject to forced removal if they violate noise regulations.

Because of this, air conditioners without outdoor units are gaining popularity, but they are already sold out.

As public anger grows, a motion of no confidence against the government was even submitted to parliament over its failure to address the heatwave, though it was rejected.

There are growing calls to relax air conditioning regulations at least for essential public facilities such as hospitals and schools, but the majority of French people are forced to endure the worst of the heatwave without air conditioning.

(Reported by Kim Si-nae | Video by Jung Sung-hoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.