Sunil Rastogi, an auto‑rickshaw driver in New Delhi, typically works twelve‑hour days to support his family and fund the heart surgery he requires. However, as summer temperatures exceed 100 °F, he confronts a difficult choice.
Should he reduce his working hours—thereby earning less for his family and postponing the operation—or continue working and risk compromising his already fragile health?
“I feel exhausted already,” Mr. Rastogi said last week. “The heat only intensifies my fatigue.”
Millions of workers—including wage laborers, construction employees, street vendors, and delivery drivers—face a severe summer in New Delhi that compels them to choose between health and earnings. These workers keep the city functioning and are especially vulnerable to its extreme conditions.
On the hottest days, ground surface temperatures can rise to about 140 °F, according to the Center for Science and Environment, a New Delhi think tank. At those temperatures, tarmac softens and barefoot workers risk severe foot blistering.
Mr. Rastogi, 54, explained that he must prioritize his health during the summer heat. He now works roughly five hours per day—about seven hours fewer than his usual schedule—to avoid the intense midday sun. This reduction may delay his surgery but lessens the immediate risk of a health crisis that could prevent him from working.
“I have two children,” Mr. Rastogi said. “My responsibilities compel me to keep working.”
Other workers endure the oppressive heat, which can still diminish their earnings.
Nitin Verma, 58, operates a street‑side flower stall. On pleasant days he can earn up to 3,000 rupees (about $31) daily, but many summer days yield earnings insufficient to cover his approximately 100‑rupee (about $1) costs for tea and water.
He meticulously cares for his flowers, removing wilted petals and rotten stems. “Then I simply sit idle,” he said. Customers seldom arrive.
Over recent decades, Indian summers have become longer and hotter. This year, intense heat waves swept large parts of the country in April and May, with temperatures surpassing 110 °F.
While the entire Delhi region experiences summer heat, its distribution is uneven. Areas inhabited by the most vulnerable often suffer greater exposure due to diminished forest cover, heavy traffic, and haphazard construction, according to a recent Center for Science and Environment report. Rising nighttime temperatures further shrink the period during which the body can effectively cool down.
Delhi officials introduced several relief measures this year. Each of the city’s 13 districts received a mobile relief van equipped with cold water, hats, and oral rehydration salts. Additionally, tented rest areas have been established as “cooling zones.”
We attempted to visit the cooling zones and relief vans, but locating them required several phone calls. When we contacted an emergency help line, the operator lacked information on their whereabouts and directed us to district magistrates’ offices.
Eventually, we located a cooling zone near Jama Masjid, one of old Delhi’s renowned mosques. Eight air coolers were operating, and roughly one‑third of the 75 seats in the tented area were occupied.
Krishna Rani, 45, a security guard at a local school, expressed gratitude for the rest area, which she used each evening before her hour‑long bus ride home. As the sole breadwinner for her four children, Ms. Rani said reducing work was not an option. “I cannot allow heat to deter me,” she said. “I must earn for my children’s future.”
We located a mobile relief van approximately nine miles away in a South Delhi neighborhood. The van was equipped with a small refrigerator, a water dispenser, sachets of rehydration salts, and a drum capable of holding up to 500 liters of water.
People queued as volunteers and government workers distributed water and baseball caps bearing a Hindi slogan that loosely translates to “Beat the heat, with the Delhi government leading the way.”
Since the relief vans relocate daily, some residents find them difficult to locate. While cooling zones are more visible, pausing to rest may cost valuable work time.
Roopak Yadav, 22, a delivery driver for an online platform, explained that in summer he can accept orders only within a three‑mile radius to prevent his electric bicycle from overheating. To offset the reduced range, he takes on additional orders and minimizes breaks.
“If I rest, I will lose time,” Mr. Yadav said, noting that although he has observed the relief stations, he has not yet visited them. “My earnings would suffer further.” Instead, he often asks for water from the households to which he delivers.
“I am parched much of the time,” he said.
