India’s Heat Plans Must Protect Informal Workers

Source: The post India’s Heat Plans Must Protect Informal Workers has been created, based on the article “It is time to protect India’s workers from the heat” published in “The Hindu” on 10 May 2025. India’s Heat Plans Must Protect Informal Workers.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper3-Disaster Management

Context: In April 2025, Delhi’s temperature surpassed 41°C, marking an alarming trend of intensifying heatwaves. This new climate reality is particularly harsh for India’s urban informal workers, who face grave risks to health and livelihood. Yet, their needs remain absent in current heat response plans.

For detailed information on Impact of Heat Waves on Informal Workers read this article here

Gaps in Current Heat Action Plans

1. Informal Workers Remain Invisible: Most Indian Heat Action Plans (HAPs) do not directly mention informal workers. NDMA’s 2019 guidelines refer to them under broad categories. No detailed safety measures exist for vendors, construction workers, gig workers, or waste collectors.
2. Short-Term, Crisis-Focused Approach: HAPs treat heatwaves as seasonal disasters, not long-term climate threats. Plans focus only on immediate summer responses. Ministries like Labour, Health, and Urban Affairs operate separately, causing fragmented and inconsistent protection.
3. Neglect of Work and Livelihood Impacts: Most plans emphasize general health awareness. They ignore income loss, unsafe working hours, and lack of rest or hydration options. Without occupational protections, informal workers face daily heat risks with no support.

Global and Domestic Models for Protection

1. International Good Practices: California and Oregon require employers to provide water, breaks, and shade. France mandates work adjustments and opens public buildings for cooling. Qatar and Australia limit outdoor work during peak heat hours.
2. Indian Success Stories: Ahmedabad’s HAP introduced shaded rest zones and adjusted work hours. Odisha banned outdoor work during peak times. These local examples offer replicable models for heat-resilient urban planning.

Steps Towards a Worker-Centric Heat Response

1. Revise National Heat Guidelines: NDMA must update its guidelines to explicitly include informal workers. Protocols should define safe hours, rest breaks, emergency support, and water access — tailored to each worker group.
2. Engage Workers in Decision-Making: HAPs must involve worker unions, collectives, and welfare boards. Policies developed with workers are more practical, realistic, and effective. Community engagement ensures local relevance and acceptance.
3. Ensure Basic Heat Protections in Cities: Cities must set up hydration points, shaded rest areas, and cooling centres in public places and work zones. These facilities must be accessible, gender-sensitive, and co-maintained by the community.

Strengthening Infrastructure and Finance

1. Fund Local Adaptations and Health Coverage: CSR, city budgets, and community funding must support heat response measures. Informal workers should be covered by health insurance for heat-related illnesses, which they currently lack.
2. Make Cooling Infrastructure a Standard Practice: Features like cool roofs, shaded walkways, and natural ventilation must be part of regular city planning. These should no longer be pilot projects but standard elements of urban design.

Institutional Reforms and Integrated Planning

1. Embed Heat Resilience in City Policies: Master plans, building codes, and infrastructure policies must legally include heat adaptation and worker protection. Cities must increase tree cover and create more shaded, water-rich public spaces.

2.,Create a National Coordination Mechanism: A central task force must bring together all relevant ministries and disaster agencies. Each city should have a heat officer to coordinate and monitor cross-departmental responses.

Conclusion
For informal workers, climate change is not a distant problem. It affects their health, income, and future every day. Heat response must shift from crisis reaction to long-term, inclusive planning — or the cost will be measured in lives.

Question for practice:

Evaluate how existing Heat Action Plans in India fall short in protecting urban informal workers and what steps can be taken to make these plans more inclusive and effective.