Working in ‘hellfire’: Gig workers bear the brunt of India’s heatwave | Business and economic news

New Delhi, India – Every morning, before leaving his rented accommodation in New Delhi, India, worker Aman fills three plastic bottles with water from a small clay pot and packs them with food scraps 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 boy for a logistics company. And it’s the hottest job he’s ever experienced; he has never endured such scorching working conditions, he says.

Parts of India are currently engulfed in an extreme heatwave. Last month, the mercury in Delhi reached the highest temperature ever recorded: 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.2 degrees Fahrenheit); however, meteorological authorities later issued a declaration pushing the maximum temperature down into the 40s (113-120F). In 2021, a report identified India as one of the top five countries in the world with the highest exposure to extreme heat.

“When I drive my two-wheeler while working, 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 says, adding that a shopkeeper came to his aid and poured cold water on his head. “Since that incident, I carry small bottles of water and spray water on my head and face several times during the day to stay 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), rising temperatures in India will reduce daily working hours by 5.8% by 2030. 90 percent of the country’s workers employed in the informal sector, the loss of working hours brings significant challenges.

Aman’s family is worried about his health and safety. However, quitting or moving to another job is not an option. “As I drive, I think about what would happen if something unexpected happened to me because of the heat,” he says. “It scares me, but unfortunately I have no skills other than driving – and a family to look after – so I can’t leave this job at any cost.”

The scorching temperatures affect him mentally, he says, but also economically because they affect his ability to meet his delivery goals. In winter, his daily earnings were around 750 Indian rupees ($9). Now that amount has dropped to 500 rupees ($6). “The way I will take care of my family really haunts me,” he laments as he prepares to deliver the last order of the day, ending a 10-hour shift.

According to a report by government think tank NITI Aayog, there are 7.7 million temporary workers in India – a number that is expected to grow to 23.5 million by 2029-30.

Outside a small restaurant in south Delhi, 25-year-old Sharukh, who works with food delivery platform Zomato, stands in front of an old, rusty refrigerator installed by the owner. “Fashionable restaurants don’t even allow us to stand in front of their outlets while we are there to take orders,” says Sharukh, adding that delivery men also have to order water in the unbearable heat and feel “untouchable.” ”.

Since the start of the heat wave, Sharukh has avoided accepting orders from luxury restaurants, preferring small establishments where “they have the humanity to offer us water and a place to rest while they prepare the order”.

“After all, I’m not a machine that can work all day in this unbearable temperature,” he says, discouraged, as he waits to receive the seventh order of his shift. Each day he typically takes home 500 to 650 rupees ($6 to $7.80).

From March to May, approximately 25,000 cases of suspected heatstroke and 56 deaths in India’s severe heat wave. May was the worst month, with 46 heat-related deaths, according to the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC). Media outlets including Reuters and The Hindu have reported that heatwave-related deaths could reach 80 or even 100.

Last month, while delivering an order, Sharukh felt severe pain and cramps in his stomach. Since then, he has skipped heavy meals to stay light and drank lemonade from roadside stands to stay hydrated.

“My health has been seriously affected due to the heat this year. After work, I feel exhausted and sometimes have severe headaches,” she says. High temperatures also affect him at home, where frequent power cuts prevent him from getting adequate rest, worsening his condition. He says his mother insists he find a different job, but that’s not an option considering the country’s high unemployment.

“Furthermore, our companies are not doing much for our safety and well-being,” says Sharukh, wrapping a gamcha (soft cotton towel soaked in water) around his face before heading out to deliver his next order.

Situations such as long working hours, pressure to meet delivery targets, carrying heavy loads, irregular income and lack of social security like health insurance negatively impact gig workers’ physical and mental well-being, according to a 2024 report report by Janpahal, a Delhi-based non-profit organization.

“Although we all live in similar temperatures, the burden of heat is not shared equally,” explains Selomi Garnaik, activist at Greenpeace India. “Heat waves disproportionately affect outdoor workers, forcing them to endure extreme temperatures and putting their health and safety at serious risk.”

She says Greenpeace India is demanding that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) declare heatwaves as a national disaster to ensure “effective allocation of funds for heatwave adaptation, mitigation and relief”.

“Unfortunately, heat action plans are reduced to mere guidance documents; this needs to change,” adds Garnaik. “Heat action plans must prioritize outdoor workers and pay attention to their needs, including reducing working hours during heat peaks, providing absence allowances from work and securing public goods accessible basics such as electricity and water. It is time to address this inequality and protect those on the front lines during these difficult times.”

Govinda Shah, 27, who works for Zepto, a food delivery platform, says, “The temperature in Delhi is like hellfire… for people like me who earn a lot.” He is sitting under a tree waiting for his next order outside a housing society in India’s second largest IT hub, Gurugram, a major satellite city of New Delhi.

He works 10-hour shifts to survive, earning around 600 rupees ($7.20) daily. Excessive heat is a physical and mental challenge. “I have a rash, which makes walking painful, and also my clothes smell bad, which makes me feel embarrassed in front of the client,” says Shah. “Before I sleep, I pray that this heat wave will end soon, otherwise survival will be difficult.”