‘Most of the profits are spent on purchasing water’: Outdoor workers bear the brunt of Delhi’s heat

As Delhi endured another day of extreme temperatures on Friday, thousands of workers across the city continued their shifts outdoors. By early afternoon, the sidewalk outside Dilli Haat began to boil in the heat. A few visitors hurried through with scarves wrapped around their faces, but most of the stalls remained empty. Under a cloth canopy, 60-year-old Gomti adjusted the end of her sari over her head and waited for customers who rarely come before sunset in summer.

There was a plastic bottle filled with warm water next to her jewelry display. “When my head starts getting too hot, I use my saree to cover it because I can’t afford to buy any new clothes,” she told HT.

Friday, Delhi recorded a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. Hot winds moved through the city at a speed of 13 kilometers per hour, while humidity remained low at 13%. This made the afternoon air dry and harsh. The Meteorological Department expected the weather to be hotter on Saturday and Sunday, with the maximum temperature likely to reach nearly 46 degrees Celsius.

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For those who work indoors, heat often means discomfort and higher electricity bills. But for thousands of people across Delhi whose jobs keep them outside or in poorly ventilated workplaces, the high temperatures are affecting every part of the day. It’s about when they eat, how much water they can afford, how long they rest, and whether they can continue to work while sick.

At traffic lights, markets, Workers in metro stations and factories say the summer months bring them exhaustion that they cannot escape because losing work means losing income.

“Some restaurants refill our water and allow us to sit while we wait, but most require us to stand outside in the heat while the food is prepared,” Ali said. “When we reach customers, sometimes people offer us water, but many of them also abuse us for being a little late.”

He says fever and heat headaches have become routine among delivery workers. “Working with fever due to heat is a common experience,” he added.

“Whether it is hot or cold, we have to work in both because we will not be able to earn our daily wage otherwise,” she said.

She avoids cold drinks because she thinks they make her sick during the summer. Instead, you continue to drink water throughout the day. A nearby gasoline pump allows her to refill her bottle for free. “It gets hot because I keep it in a plastic bottle and I can’t afford a metal bottle,” she said.

During a recent afternoon visit by HT’s Aditya Khatwani, Gomti was the only jewelery vendor sitting outside, though eight or nine vendors usually occupy the area.

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“I work for about 10 hours a day and earn close to that $300 l $300 l $400, but around $“Of it, 150 is spent on purchasing multiple water bottles,” Lal said.

He also claimed that workers like him are often denied access to free drinking water points. “People in places that are supposed to provide free water, such as the machines in front of the metro, reject me and other cobblers without explanation… while allowing others to drink from them,” he said.

His clothes, faded and worn from years of outdoor work, offer little relief from the heat. He added: “I can’t buy new clothes.”

“I’ve gotten sick from the heat while working as a security guard before, and I’m really worried it will happen again,” he said.

His shift runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and he spends nearly four hours outside without a fan or cooler. He added: “A bottle of water is not enough to keep the body hydrated.” While the company-issued hat protects his eyes, he says the thick uniform traps heat and becomes uncomfortable within minutes.

“We feel there is no point in complaining, because this is work,” Kumar said.

He said: “I work from nine in the morning until six in the evening, and I suffer from constant pain due to fatigue and heat.” “When I get home, I make sure to rest for an hour so I don’t get sick.”

Pooja says headaches have become so common that he now takes painkillers almost every week. Taking leave is difficult because it results in salary reductions. “We suffer a reduction in wages if we quit due to fever, which recurs in the summer,” he said.

The air quality in Delhi on Friday remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with the AQI recording 100. Doctors advised children, the elderly and those suffering from respiratory ailments to avoid prolonged exposure outdoors.