The relentless grip of extreme heat in India is not just a weather phenomenon; it's a force that's pushing the country's poorest workers further into the depths of poverty. This is the stark reality laid bare by new research from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), which reveals a disturbing trend: extreme heat is acting as a 'poverty multiplier' for India's vast informal sector.
The numbers are eye-opening. On average, workers in physically demanding jobs lost a significant 6.6% of their salaries in 2024 due to extreme heat. But it's the outdoor workers who bear the brunt, suffering a staggering 9% loss in earnings, equivalent to £112 ($151). The economic impact is most severe in Rajasthan, where prolonged heatwaves and a rising death toll create a perfect storm of hardship.
Ritu Bharadwaj, the climate finance director at IIED, paints a grim picture: "Heat is quietly pushing these families deeper into poverty. As the heat rises, their efficiency goes down, so they earn less. With lower income, their food intake falls. And because they cannot afford to stop, they keep working through it, doing lasting damage to their health."
This is a crisis of epic proportions, and it's one that India, with its predominantly informal economy, is ill-equipped to handle. The World Bank warns that India could be one of the first places where heatwaves push beyond the human survivability limit. The economic cost is estimated to be at least £58 billion, a staggering 2% of India's GDP, due to lost wages, worksite closures, and long-term health impacts.
The human stories behind these statistics are equally distressing. Take Inder and Laxmi Kumar, a couple working on a construction site in Gurugram. They describe the heat as 'torture', with their bodies aching and their son restless in the stifling heat of their makeshift home. Despite falling ill repeatedly, they cannot afford to stop working, and their savings are quickly depleted by medical expenses.
For female labourers, the situation is even more challenging. Kumkumari, a 35-year-old construction worker, cares for her young daughter while working, and both frequently fall ill due to the extreme heat.
The long-term health impacts are also concerning. Prolonged exposure to heat and dehydration increases the risk of chronic kidney disease, and the IIED estimates that over time, one in 20 informal workers in India could develop this debilitating condition.
This crisis is a stark reminder of the profound inequalities that climate change exacerbates. As human-caused climate breakdown intensifies heatwaves worldwide, it's the most vulnerable, those with the least resources and the least ability to adapt, who bear the brunt.
In India, the informal sector, which employs nine out of ten workers, is particularly at risk. These workers, lacking employment security and often forced to work through illness, are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty and ill health.
The solution, as Bharadwaj suggests, lies in addressing these structural inequalities and providing support to those most affected. It's a complex challenge, but one that must be confronted if India is to achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation while ensuring the well-being of its people.
