Their jobs might be small, but they play an important part in keeping the economy running. Toiling all day long, labourers, delivery people, vendors, traffic cops, cart pullers, etc, work in extreme weathers with little or no respite. We capture the lives of a section of such workers eking out a living amid record-breaking temperatures and extreme heatwaves. Photographs and reporting by Abhinav Saha  

Workers labour to finish this mall in Sector 50, Noida, in Uttar Pradesh. Earning Rs 400 per shift, they work multiple shifts a day under the direct sun to be able to take home about Rs 1,200 daily. When the shoppers arrive once the mall is completed, it will be to shop in a climate-controlled environment

Afaq Alam (60) from Kishanganj, Bihar, is in Delhi for the past 40 years. He pulls a rickshaw from 8 am to 9 pm, earning only about Rs 300 a day, of which he pays the rickshaw owner Rs 100 daily. Spreading his bedding on a footpath at the end of a tiring day, he gets no relief from the vagaries of weather even at rest.
Md Hasim (50) sells seasonal fruit in the Sarai Kale Khan area of Delhi. With a scarf on his head, both he and his horse spend the entire day in the open. Out with his cart from 11 am to  5 pm daily, he manages to pocket Rs 1,000-2,000 a day
Brijesh Yadav (22) walks the grounds of India Gate from 9 am to 10 pm daily, scouting for any visitors who want to get their pictures clicked. Come rain or shine, this resident of Badaun, UP, is out in the open for over 12 hours. At the end of the day, he returns the camera to his employer, and takes home a daily wage of Rs 300
Prem Pal (name changed) is in his mid-twenties. In Delhi since the past eight years, he works for a food delivery app 13-16 hours a day, from 9 am to 1 am. From Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, Pal earns about Rs 1,500 daily for being on the road all day and night

Md Asif Alvi (22) is among the hundreds employed to construct the Delhi-Saharanpur Expressway. A black scarf tied around his head does little to protect him from the sun or the heat from the flame of the welding gun he operates. A contract worker, he earns Rs 500 a day after a 12-hour shift—all in the daytime. Having arrived in Delhi  three months back from Shamli, UP, his dreams of a better future burn as bright as the sun
Rajesh Singh from Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, works in old Delhi, transporting goods for his employer. He works 12 hours a day, morning to evening, earning a monthly salary of Rs 15,000

Occupational heat stress

Occupational heat stress is the combination of factors to which a worker is exposed as a result of metabolic heat, environmental factors and clothing worn, which results in an increase in heat storage in the body. Heat stress can lead to heat-related conditions such as stroke, hyperthermia, exhaustion, cramps, rashes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Heat stroke can be an emergency situation and, if not treated immediately, can even lead to death.

Heat stress can also cause workplace accidents, and decrease in productivity. Burns can also occur as a result of accidental contact with hot surfaces or steam.

According to the latest report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), over 70% of the workers globally are exposed to excessive heat. The situation is astonishing in India where 75% of the workforce is dependent on heat-exposed labour, contributing to about 50% of the GDP, according to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The ILO report also highlighted how in hot and rural regions of nations like India, there is an epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology among workers doing heavy manual labour.

As many as 352 workers were studied between 2017 and 2020 in seven salt pans in Tamil Nadu. It found that each and every worker had either a moderate or heavy workload, and an astonishing 90% of them worked above the recommended levels of heat exposure. The report concluded that the rising heat stress poses a grave occupational health risk to the workers.

Of particular concern was the impact on kidney health as a large number of them reported symptoms of dehydration, heat strain and urinary tract infection. The study found a low estimated glomerular filtration rate, which is a marker of kidney function, in 7% of the workers. While the international guidelines recommend regular breaks when working under such circumstances, the researchers found that the salt pans examined didn’t have such breaks in place.

Notably, the study underscored that the workers had prolonged exposure to high temperatures without ample shade, rehydration or rest breaks. Not just that, many were even hesitant to report symptoms over the fear of retaliation or loss of job.

With global temperatures rising and the situation being exacerbated by climate change, there are concerns over workers’ situations worsening.

“Billions of workers are exposed every year to hazards exacerbated by climate change, and these figures are only likely to get worse… As climate change hazards evolve and intensify, it will be necessary to re-evaluate existing legislation or create new regulations and guidance,” the ILO said. “Some worker populations may be especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change and could, therefore, need extra protections,” it added.

Productivity loss

  • 15% decline in ‘outdoor working capacity’ due to extreme heat, as per a 2023 study by Cambridge University
  • 2.8% decline in India’s GDP by 2050 as a result of extreme heatwaves, as per Cambridge University
  • 5.8% working hours projected to be lost in 2030 due to heat stress, as per International Labour Organisation
  • 34 mn equivalent of full-time jobs expected to be lost in India as a result of heat stress, with more and more working hours expected to decline in construction sector
  • 2.4 bn: No. of workers, out of a global workforce of 3.4 billion, likely to be exposed to excessive heat at some point during their work
  • 22.85 mn: No. of occupational injuries attributable to excessive heat every year, besides 18,970 work-related deaths and 2.09 million disability-adjusted life years
  • 490 bn potential labour hours lost in 2022 due to heat exposure, a nearly 42% increase from 1991-2000, as per The Lancet Countdown