My head spins with the heat': India's gig workers battle exhaustion amid soaring temperatures

A gig worker in Delhi wakes up already drained because cramped housing and poor ventilation make sleep difficult in extreme heat. Temperatures start high in the morning and can exceed 45C during the day. Hotter nights, combined with the urban heat island effect that traps heat in dense cities, leave informal workers exhausted before work begins. Delivery riders, construction workers, and street vendors often live in settlements with little ventilation or unreliable electricity, making cooling and recovery harder. Reduced rest increases heat-related illnesses, lowers productivity, and pushes vulnerable workers into greater economic hardship. Experts warn cities across south and south-east Asia are not prepared for worsening heatwaves as climate change increases the likelihood of severe pre-monsoon events.

"By the time Jalaj Jha begins getting ready for work each morning, he already feels drained. Awakening in a cramped room in Delhi, with no ventilation except a rattling fan pushing hot air around, the 24-year-old gig worker has ahead of him a 12-hour shift delivering groceries. I barely sleep three or four hours in this heat, Jha said, wiping dust off his motorbike, which he uses for deliveries. I wake up exhausted. It feels like my body is pulling me down."

"It is only 7am, but the temperature is already 30C (86F) the lowest temperature of the day. During the day it can soar to more than 45C (113F). This week, Delhi registered the hottest May day in the last two years, and the warmest May night in 14 years. Rising temperatures are turning cities across south and south-east Asia into places where workers can no longer recover from the heat."

"A new report by US-based People's Courage International (PCI), using research in Delhi, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Jakarta and Quezon City, has found hotter nights, combined with the urban heat island effect the trapping of heat inside dense cities are leaving millions of informal workers exhausted before a new workday even begins. For delivery riders, construction workers and street vendors living in cramped settlements with little ventilation or unreliable electricity, sleep itself is becoming difficult."

"The inability to rest and cool down is worsening heat-related illnesses, reducing productivity and pushing already vulnerable workers into deeper economic stress. Experts warn cities across the region remain poorly prepared for worsening heatwaves. The crisis is worsening in south Asia as climate change is predicted to triple the chance of pre-monsoon heatwaves, such as a 15-day one that turned deadly last month."

Read at www.theguardian.com