South Asian Gig Workers - Delivery, Construction, Markets - Face Debilitating, Dangerous Heat By Night And Day

[hatrack]

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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.

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. Scientists say night-time temperatures are rising faster than daytime temperatures across much of the region, reducing the hours people once relied on to recover from extreme heat. Across Asia, the International Labour Organization estimates that more than 70% of the workforce are exposed to excessive heat at some point during their jobs, with informal workers among the most vulnerable. This has a big impact in countries like India, where nearly 90% of workers are employed in the informal economy.

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“Heat impacts are silent and generally creep up on workers,” said PCI researcher Ameena Kidwai. Workers reported impacts across their lives – including at home and work, on their commute, as well as on their mental health and sense of community, Kidwai said. Ajay Kumar, 32, a roadside vegetable vendor in Gurugram on the outskirts of Delhi, spends hours every day pulling a three-wheeler rickshaw loaded with vegetables through dense traffic after buying produce from a wholesale market 7km away.

“Every day my head spins with the heat. But I have no option but to work for my family,” said Kumar, who has four children.Researchers describe this growing exhaustion as a “recovery deficit” where workers begin each day already physically depleted. Sleep deprivation, they say, is contributing not only to lower productivity and worsening health, but also to anxiety and emotional exhaustion.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/26/high-temperatures-millions-workers-impacted-by-heat-india-asia

[cachukis]

1. I spoke to a woman, some years ago, who had

spent two years in Nairobi. She described the poverty and difficulties many experienced in obtaining food.
She was able to pull out her credit card and get a meal.
She came away with a sanguine description. The rich will have access to food.