Working in ‘hellfire’: Gig workers bear the brunt of India’s heatwave

Delivery workers face physical and mental hardships while enduring India’s scorching summer.

New Delhi, India – Every morning before stepping out of his rented accommodation in New Delhi, India, gig worker Aman fills three plastic bottles with water from a small earthen pot and packs them with some leftover food inside a sling bag. To support his family, in 2018 the 26-year-old moved from Bihar to New Delhi to work as a delivery person at a logistics company. And it’s the hottest work he’s ever experienced; he’s never endured such scorching working conditions, he says.

Parts of India are currently engulfed by an extreme heatwave. In the last month, the mercury in Delhi rose to the highest temperature ever recorded: 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.2 degrees Fahrenheit); however, weather officials later issued a statement pushing the maximum temperature lower, in the high 40s (113-120F). In 2021, a report identified India as one of the top five countries in the world with the most exposure to extreme heat.

“When I am driving my two-wheeler during work, the hot air blowing on my body makes it feel like I am sitting outside a furnace,” says Aman, who goes by a single name. Last month, he fainted due to the heat while making a delivery in a remote area of Delhi, he recounts, adding that a shopkeeper came to his aid and poured cold water over his head. “Since that incident, I make sure to carry small water bottles and sprinkle water over my head and face multiple times during the day to remain conscious,” says Aman, his clothes drenched in sweat.

According to a recent report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the rising temperatures in India will reduce daily working hours 5.8 percent by 2030. With 90 percent of workers in the country employed in the informal sector, the loss of labour hours brings significant challenges.

Aman’s family has been worried about his health and safety. However, quitting or switching to another job is not an option. “While driving, I think about what would happen if something unforeseen happens to me due to heat,” he says. “That scares me, but unfortunately, I have no other skills than driving – and a family to look after – so I cannot leave this job at any cost.”