In June 2023, over 90 people were reported to have died from extreme heat conditions in India’s two most populous states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Heat waves have become more frequent across the world, but they are even more deadly for scores of Indians who spend most of their time under the sun or in hot and humid conditions to earn their livelihoods.
A World Bank report in November 2022 highlighted how more than 34 million people across India will be affected by job losses due to high heat by 2030 and more than 200 million people will be exposed to hazardous heatwaves.
Through the lens of workers in three distinct occupations—cement factory, brick kiln labourers who work in large heat stressed conditions for long hours, food/grocery delivery executives who travel all day in the sun and are paid per delivery, and women working out of their heat-trapped homes (located in slums) for small-scale industries, often juggling with domestic labour, the project highlights how extreme heat is testing their limits and attacking their livelihoods.
These are one of the most vulnerable working populations; all three work in urban heat islands, belong to low socioeconomic class, are mostly engaged in the unorganized sector, are uninsured, and work on low wages.
Are there any easy solutions to factor in heat? Are governments considering the toll it is taking on the country’s workers and subsequently the economy? What are the policies needed?
