Climate experts seek 'right to cool', heat protection for informal sector workers during summer

Protecting India's informal workforce during extreme heat with urgent measures like paid heat leave and free water ATMs.

Climate experts have proposed urgent measures, including paid heat leave, free water ATMs at labour hubs and legal recognition for the 'right to cool', to protect India's informal workforce during the extreme summer months.

More than 80% of Delhi's workers, including street vendors, construction labourers and ragpickers, face severe health risks and income loss due to extreme heat. The women among them are disproportionately affected, the experts said.

Amruta, a campaigner at Greenpeace India, highlighted that heat waves were no longer just weather events but disasters for those without shelter, water or rest spaces.

A Greenpeace India report last year found that 61% of street vendors lost more than 40% of their daily income during extreme heat while 75% lacked access to cooling infrastructure near workplaces.

Hisham Mundol, chief advisor at Environmental Defense Fund - India, said informal workers bore the brunt of heat waves and rising cases of dehydration, heatstroke and chronic illnesses such as kidney damage underscored the urgent need for intervention.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted above-normal maximum temperatures for large parts of northwest, central, and eastern India between April and June.

In its seasonal outlook, the IMD warned that the number of heatwave days this summer might be significantly higher than usual, especially over Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and western Madhya Pradesh.