Living and Working in the Heat: Exploring the Impacts of Heatwaves on Women Home-Based Workers in Delhi

Fatima, Nooreen

“How could we use any additional cooling equipment when we don’t own them? We have a limited income and a big family. We could either afford our children’s education or buy coolers and fans...how could we manage all of it at the same time?” shares Nargis (32), who lives with her husband and three children in a rented single-floor house in Delhi’s Savda Ghevra resettlement colony. Nargis works as a home-based worker cutting rubber straps for slippers, earning approximately Rs. 1,500-2,000/month (USD 18-24). She also works as a seasonal daily wage laborer on farms, making Rs. 9,000-10,000 monthly (USD 107-119). Her husband, a daily wage construction laborer, adds to their combined income, but it still remains well below a livable wage for a family of five.

In June 2024, Delhi faced its worst heatwave in 80 years, claiming many lives, particularly among the urban poor. Informal workers, including home-based laborers like Nargis, were hit hardest. Outdoor workers suffered long hours under the scorching sun, while women home-based workers faced the dual burdens of domestic and productive work in small, poorly ventilated spaces. These "pressure cooker" (Sinha & Unni, 2024) environments, lacking essential infrastructure like clean water, electricity, and fresh air, worsened the impact of heatwave on home-based workers.

For Nargis, the heatwave disrupted her livelihood, forcing her to reduce farm work and home-based labor due to the unbearable heat. Her experience is just one example of the struggles faced by home-based workers during the heatwave. Using data from 14 qualitative interviews with workers in Delhi’s Savda Ghevra resettlement colony, this paper explores how extreme heat affected work routines, productivity, income, health, and access to public infrastructure. Highlights the intersection of climate, employment, and infrastructure, and we document how the lives of home-based workers like Nargis changed during this climate crisis.