"Every morning, I am up by 5.30am-6am because I have to cook, get ready, and leave on time for our shift, which begins at 8.30am. But this summer May, June, July and August the temperature always stayed around 46C, sometimes even hitting 50C (122F). My routine changed. I live in a rented room with a friend on the top floor of a two-storey building. We had frequent power cuts in our rural neighbourhood those days, with lights often going off at 3am."
"The company is around 3km from where I stay and getting an auto [autorickshaw] is difficult. So, I walk to work. The streets would be deserted, with shops closed and everyone inside their homes. Our 30-minute walk has no shaded area, no place to sit and rest. We just walk and walk, the sun directly on us, till we reach the company drenched in sweat."
Neha, 25, works at a multinational warehouse in Manesar to send money home. Climate breakdown warming the Atlantic and Indian Oceans is increasing heatwave frequency and intensity across northern India. Temperatures during May–August frequently reached 46–50°C, altering daily routines: earlier wake-ups, limited cooking, early baths to avoid hot water tanks, and carrying a two-litre water bottle because of no fridge. Power cuts in the rural neighbourhood disrupted sleep and cooling. The 3km commute is usually on foot with no shaded routes, shops closed, and workers arriving drenched in sweat despite some cooling inside the workplace.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]