Somewhere in the sugarcane fields of Maharashtra’s Beed, a woman works in temperatures reaching 44°C. She has been drinking little water throughout the day, not because she is not thirsty, but because she does not have a safe and hygienic place to relieve herself. When she returns home after an extremely long day at work, she continues to struggle with the heat in her home. However, this is not the story of a single woman or of women from a particular region.
A woman cuts sugarcane on a farm in Khochi village in Maharashtra (representative image). Image source: Sanket Jain/Thomson Reuters Foundation
A brutal heatwave has sparked government warnings across India. Than that Heat wave is spreading across the country, temperatures continue to rise and remain high. There is no sign of slowing down as most of the country benefits from it Heat advisories. Uttar Pradesh’s Banda reached temperatures of 47.4°C By the end of April, several parts of north and central India reached the 45°C mark. The night temperatures also remain quite high. Climate models sounded the alarm a long time ago. But who pays the price for this?
Those who pay the price
Men and women don’t Handle heat the same way. Women have more body fat and a lower body water percentage than men Bodies do not give off heat just as easy. Less water means less sweat, which causes indoor temperatures to rise and increases the risk of heat exhaustion, heat stroke and chronic fatigue. Yet despite this increased vulnerability, when people talk about heat, they usually think of men.
Women suffer from extreme heat in unique ways. Studies show that higher temperatures affect hormone levelsincluding cortisol and estrogen. That has an impact Mood, menstrual cyclesand even fertility. Women who work long hours in the heat also suffer from severe PMS symptoms. Things only get worse for pregnant women in the field: Premature births, Birth complicationsan increased risk of Miscarriages And Stillbirthsamong other health risks to the mother and fetus.
Things only get worse for pregnant women in the fields: premature births, birth complications, an increased risk of miscarriage and stillbirth, and other health risks for mother and child.
Additionally, working in these temperatures and with hardly any water can lead to dehydration, urinary tract infections, muscle cramps and dizziness. Heat waves also have an impact spiritually Health. High cortisol levels also caused by extreme temperatures lead to and increase stress the probability of Sleep disorders. Studies show that women are more susceptible to high temperatures and Heat stress as men: for numerous reasons and in various ways.
What rising temperatures mean for women
While women are disproportionately affected by heat stress, the most affected among women are migrants, day laborers and agricultural workers. Working outside is becoming more difficult every year. Between 1980 and 2020 The temperature in the country has risenparticularly in western and southern India. In the last 40 years Outdoor productivity has fallen by about 10 percent due to heat stress. Large cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata have temperatures that make it impossible to work outdoors. International standards dictate that outdoor work should stop during periods of intense heat; But for millions, quitting is not an option.
This situation continues to worsen. If the global temperature rises by 4°C (which is not far-fetched at this point), the prosperity of the average person will fall many times over 40 percent. It goes without saying that the impact will be even more devastating for workers whose income depends on physical labor outdoors.
Image source: IndiaSpend
Furthermore, women not only suffer more in extreme temperatures; They also end up doing more work. As temperatures rise, care is needed for children and the elderly, who are most vulnerable to the heat. the sick must be cared for; And someone has to make sure there is enough water for everyone and that everyone is fed. Given the patriarchal society we live in, that “someone” is more likely to be a woman. The work piles up, unpaid and relentless. Heat waves mean more compulsory work, more health risks and ultimately less income for women.
But as women pay the price for rising temperatures, the government is barely making a move.
Understanding government failure through numbers
India has heat action plans. For example, Ahmedabad introduced one after more than a year 1,400 people died in 2010. Some states send warnings and the IMD issues heat wave warnings. But that’s not enough. A significant portion of India’s population consists of migrant workers, who often live in slums without ventilation. The country’s economy is heavily dependent on them, yet they remain invisible and ignored.
Furthermore, climate regulation efforts often focus on cities and neglect other cities that are equally, if not more, vulnerable to heat stress. These are the same workers whose labor is estimated to contribute 10 percent of India’s GDP; City builders who are invisible in the political architecture designed to protect them. And the further the temperatures rise, the more uninhabitable large cities become.
The longer governments ignore the conditions these workers face, the closer we come to a breaking point where infrastructure, welfare and basic human dignity will collapse. When planners actually act, their policies are often aimed at urban construction workers while completely ignoring women in other sectors. Women don’t take most heat reactions seriously. And the longer real interventions are delayed, the more certain one thing becomes: the combination of global warming and changing climate patterns will only worsen India’s heat crisis.
The way forward
There are several possible solutions to address the climate emergency in India. The real hurdle, however, is getting anyone in power to care enough to want to change something. However, there are some things that can be done: tailor-made heating subsidies should be established for informal and agricultural workers; Subsidized portable cooling devices must be made available to those vulnerable to heat stress. Social safety nets must be built that recognize the risks associated with heat. Early warning systems must be created to combat heat stress before it claims human lives. Migrant workers should be provided with housing that has electricity and ventilation; and farms should have rest stops and water nearby.
Photo credit: CNBC
Of utmost importance, however, is better data, particularly data that focuses on gender. This is crucial because you can’t fix what you can’t measure. Migrant women are among the women most affected by heat and policymakers must recognize this.
India’s climate catastrophe is not imminent; it’s happening now. We are beyond warnings and hypotheses. India is burning and people, especially women, are succumbing to the heat. The only real question – which the government, the media and the people must ask in the coming days – is: Who will be saved from these flames and who will be left to burn?