Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, the crisis of unemployment unites India as few things do. Why are important sections of India out of work? How do unemployed Indians live? Why is the work available not enough to earn a livelihood? How do Indians secure employment? How long is the wait? With India out of work, The Wire unveils a series that explores one of the most important poll issues of our time.
Sita is a part-time domestic worker, who works as a cook in a posh area in south Delhi. Although the cold season was not the most comfortable this year, she dreads Delhi’s increasing heatwaves. “We cook on a hot stove during hot summer months. We have to endure long working hours in unbearable, fan-less, hot kitchens of our employers, leading to physical strain, heat rashes, headaches, loss of appetite and negatively impacting their overall well-being,” she says.
But she is not alone.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty. Photo: Intifada P. Basheer and Azam Abbas
The summer heat poses significant challenges for street vendors, impacting both their health and livelihoods. Spoilage of food items is very common for vendors selling cooked and uncooked food. The peak summer heat often coincides with a decline in customer traffic, as potential buyers may opt to stay indoors to avoid the heat. The home-based workers who work from their own homes also incur additional costs during excessively hot months. Transportation costs for work delivery and buying raw materials increase. Elevated electricity bills, due to the need for additional cooling facilities like coolers and excessive use of fans further cuts into the family income. Often it is difficult to work during the hot hours of the day, so the workers have to reduce work hours, thus affecting productivity – nearly by 50% in many instances. In addition, there is reduced productivity due to the excessive heat and the discomfort associated with it.
The nature of informal work often involves strenuous physical activity under harsh environmental conditions, making informal workers more susceptible to heat stress.
In India, the prevalence of informal employment is striking, encompassing a significant majority of India’s labour force. A substantial 92% of women and 90% of men are actively engaged in informal labour, collectively constituting more than 90% of India’s workforce. Informal workers face precarious work conditions with minimal job security, often marked by irregular incomes, no employment contracts, and vulnerability to economic fluctuations. Additionally, a lack of social protection mechanisms leaves informal workers highly exposed to financial risks and climate emergencies.
Projections indicate a potential 30-fold increase in heatwave frequency by the century’s end under a 2°C warming scenario (IPCC Fifth Assessment Report), with durations expected to increase significantly. This poses a severe threat, particularly to informal workers in South Asia, including Delhi’s informal workers who face heightened vulnerability due to their outdoor work conditions. Future temperature forecasts suggest a consistent rise, potentially reaching 4-5°C by 2080 under high emission scenarios. In 2022, India registered 203 heatwave days, the highest in recent years, with Delhi witnessing around 17 heatwave days compared to just 3 in 2021, according to reports from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), it is projected that India will experience a reduction of approximately 5.8% in its overall labour hours by 2030 as a result of heat and humidity. This decline in labour hours poses significant challenges for India, particularly given that about 90% of the workforce operates in the informal sector, with many engaged in physically demanding roles.
Urban informal workers work at informal sites – their own or their employers’ homes, markets, streets, construction sites, waste-dumping sites, landfills, and other public spaces – and therefore are more vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change than the general population. They also live in informal settlements in cities with infrastructure deficits. Their limited resources coupled with poor access to quality housing and adequate infrastructure can make them more exposed to extremes in temperature and weather and disease-carrying pests which directly impact their health, well-being, work and income. Furthermore, informal workers typically belong to marginalised communities with limited access to healthcare services, social protection, and financial resources. Therefore, the economic burden of heat-related illnesses can be particularly devastating for these individuals and their families, potentially pushing them further into poverty.
Representative image. Photo: ILO/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)
Infrastructural deficits at the place of work and homes further add to the workers’ woes. The effects of climate change on urban infrastructure are multifaceted and interconnected. As global temperatures rise alongside rapid urbanisation, urban heat islands (UHIs) are also on the rise. Heat also impacts water supply, power supply, and other services which as it is scarce at the informal workers work sites and homes. The disparities in access to basic services, such as clean water, sanitation, and healthcare, heighten the vulnerability of informal worker communities to heat risks. As a result, productivity levels due to heat stress can decline, work hours are reduced and there may be an increased risk of accidents and injuries due to impaired cognitive function and fatigue caused by heat exposure. Repeated illness and loss of work not only means loss of work and income but also additional expenditure on health care. In a large and crowded city like Delhi, poor living and working conditions trap workers in cycles of poverty, exacerbated by the climate crisis such as heat stress.
The working woman
Severe weather events like heatwaves can exacerbate existing gender inequalities, posing unique challenges for women engaged. For instance, women waste pickers working in landfills in Delhi find themselves needing to adapt their work schedules to cooler times of the day, such as early mornings or evenings, to escape the harsh heat. However, this shift in working hours potentially impacts their earnings significantly. In addition, unlike their male counterparts, women waste pickers often have additional care responsibilities at home, including cooking, feeding, washing, water collecting which also increases during severe heat stress. As a result, they struggle to allocate sufficient time for economic activity thus affecting their overall income.
Representative image. Photo: IISG/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Moreover, the increased vulnerability to urban violence is a notable concern for women in informal work. As they navigate public spaces during non-traditional hours due to changes in work schedules prompted by extreme weather, they may face heightened risks of harassment or assault. The lack of adequate lighting and security measures in many areas further compounds these risks, leaving women more susceptible to violence while commuting to and from work.
Urban poor communities do employ various strategies using traditional knowledge and low-cost technology to manage the impacts of climate change on their lives and livelihoods. These strategies often involve grassroots initiatives, local knowledge, and social networks to address the specific needs and priorities of vulnerable populations. However, it is noteworthy that the costs of these adaptation strategies are almost always borne by the workers themselves.
Also read: Heat Action Plans: What They Are, Why We Need Them
Although the 2023 Delhi Heat Wave Action Plan acknowledges vulnerable groups including infants, children, women, the elderly, people with disabilities, and individuals from economically weaker sections, it falls short in providing detailed identification of outdoor or informal workers. This oversight is particularly concerning given that during peak heat, the impact varies significantly across all sectors within the informal economy. Clarification and tailored strategies are crucial to ensure adequate protection for these marginalised workers. In addition to identifying outdoor and informal workers within the Heat Action Plan (HAP), it is crucial to outline tailored measures and support systems to address their specific vulnerabilities during periods of extreme heat.
Effective policy and governance frameworks are essential for promoting climate-resilient cities. Government agencies at the local, national, and international levels can play a critical role in incentivising climate adaptation and mitigation efforts which are worker-friendly. In order to do so, we need a voice at the policy table. Structural inequalities, institutional constraints, and governance failures often limit the ability of marginalised populations to access resources, participate in decision-making processes, and benefit from adaptation initiatives.
Shalini Sinha is a home-based workers sector specialist and Asia strategist at the Urban Policies Program, WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing).
Rituraj Pegu is an urban researcher and is coordinator for the Delhi Roundtable on Solid Waste Management.
