A report dedicated to vegetable vendors, auto drivers, security guards, construction workers, house helps, and other outdoor workers documents the human cost of heat waves released by Palakiya Foundation
June 24, New Delhi/Gurugram: This year has been recorded as the hottest year until now with 143 recorded deaths till June 20th, as per the data released by the Union Health Ministry. It has also been the year we witnessed the temperature surging to a record-breaking 52.3 degrees Celsius in Delhi’s Mungeshpur, posing a significant threat to the lives and livelihoods of the general population.
Heatwaves intersect with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a stark manifestation of global climate change. The impact of heatwaves directly intersects with SGD 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, and 17 revealing the complexity and urgency of addressing the impacts of rising temperatures. The complex interaction of gender dynamics, societal norms, and climate change intensifies women’s vulnerability to heat waves, particularly in India.
Palakiya Foundation believes addressing heat waves in isolation from social issues is insufficient and ineffective. Hence, the Foundation’s research team moved across North India and collected the stories of human resilience. The stories are compiled in a report titled, “INFERNO-The Human Consequence of Rising Temperatures”, providing a glimpse into the heatwave and its severities on human life.
The report is dedicated to the outdoor working class such as vegetable vendors, auto drivers, security guards, construction workers, house helps, people living in informal settlements, and all other disadvantaged populations who lack the privilege of cooling systems and are left with no alternative but to live and earn in scorching temperatures.
“Deaths caused by extreme weather events are not just numbers but are also the lives lost. The people exposed to extreme heat and weather conditions, people who lack the privilege of working from home, too have families and their basic needs which ought to be fulfilled. It is important to document not just the impact on health but also the economic loss aggravated by extreme heat. Through our report, we have tried to bring everyone’s attention to the lives and stories of outdoor workers” said Mahima Bansal, Director, Palakiya Foundation.
“It is important that adaptation and mitigation measures are adopted, considering the loss and damage caused due to extreme heat. Considering the rise in global temperatures, it is the need of the hour to protect the lives of outdoor and daily wage workers through policy-level and local-level interventions,” she added.
The Foundation demands that the response to tackle heat waves must be focused on advancing preparedness, improving heat interventions, and investments in vulnerability and risk management assessments. Heat Action Plans (HAPs) must have targeted interventions to protect vulnerable populations and incentives for outdoor workers must be prioritized as they lose productivity during extreme weather, more so in the summers during heatwaves. The report also urges the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to develop localized forecasting systems tailored to the climate change and needs of diverse localities. It further recommends, increasing green spaces and cool roofs; upgrading healthcare facilities well equipped to manage heat-related illness; and community interventions such as reviving indigenous knowledge systems including traditional and local foods that have rich electrolyte balance must be encouraged to be consumed.
Read here: INFERNO: The Human Consequences of Rising Temperatures
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Saurav Singh