A recent study conducted by Greenpeace India in collaboration with the National Hawkers Federation, Delhi, has revealed that people who depend on the informal sector for their livelihood, such as street vendors and construction workers, have been the worst hit in Delhi.
Delhi is home to a large population that migrates from rural areas to the city in search of better opportunities. More often than not, such people start to work as street vendors to earn a living. The report reveals that poor sanitation and housing facilities, coupled with a scarcity of natural vegetation, place vendors in a predicament.
Furthermore, they constantly face harassment and displacement from governing bodies. To make a living, they have to work under the scorching sun in the sweltering summer, which increases their risk of heat strokes and other related conditions.
Much hardship, little support: Despite the hardships faced by street vendors and other informal workers, urban authorities have made minimal efforts to alleviate their suffering. In the study mentioned above, it was found that a vast majority of Delhi’s street vendors—almost 69%—are aware of heatwaves, or loo, as the hot winds of summer are locally known.
However, only a minority (under 10%) are aware of the Delhi Heat Action Plan (HAP), which means that the initiatives undertaken by the government have not reached them.
This is significant, as it means that the systemic efforts deployed to combat heatwaves are not available to them, and thus, they have to rely on themselves to mitigate their sufferings.
Many vendors (over 80%) reported that the number of customers visiting their stalls decreased significantly due to the heat. Those selling fruits and vegetables have been harder pressed, as these are perishable items that deteriorate easily, and this could lead to a loss of ₹500-600 every day.
The situation is worse for those who come from marginalized communities. Ajay Kumar Gautam, a researcher, in his work, ‘Unveiling Layers of Struggle: Caste, Gender, and Precarity Among Indian Street Vendors,’ reveals caste discrimination among street vendors. Besides this, they have to battle multiple health-related issues: anxiety, irritability, sleeplessness, fatigue, and, among other things, frequent headaches.
Their monthly expenditure has also sharply increased, exacerbating their economic uncertainties. Most times, they are unable to even seek proper medical care because of financial constraints. Regarding emergency healthcare, almost a fifth of the vendors surveyed reported that they could not afford it at all, whereas only a little over a quarter said they could bear the cost of healthcare without jeopardizing other household necessities.
Heed the Supreme Court: Despite the recent Supreme Court ruling that protection from extreme climatic conditions is a basic human right, the implementation of this on the ground level is yet to materialize.
The street vendor community demands certain protective measures from the state, such as medically-equipped health shelters, washroom facilities in market zones, and access to clean drinking water. These facilities are crucial for their well-being. The state must formulate such policies to ensure the health and dignity of street vendors.
The condition of informal labourers in India is deplorable. They live very frugal lives that generate very small carbon footprints. As a consequence, their contribution to climate change is negligible. However, they suffer disproportionately whenever a climate catastrophe rocks the world. It is for this reason that a thorough class and caste-based analysis of climate impacts must be carried out.
Climate change is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires political solutions beyond the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. We need to address the vulnerabilities of our people.
However, the solutions proposed to tackle it are often technocratic; in that sense, they are depoliticized. However, this amounts to neglect of ground issues that are undeniably political.
The role of capitalist excess in causing this catastrophe is rarely discussed, even as problems posed by caste-driven hierarchies are frequently overlooked in public discourse.
To set things right, the havoc of the climate crisis must be mitigated through urgent institutional measures taken by the state for the poor. These should include proper shelters for workers, health insurance coverage and awareness generation of heat action plans, among other steps.
Mitigation measures by the state must be consultative and inclusive, so that the voices of all—especially the worst affected—are taken into account.
Shashi Singh is an independent researcher and Rajesh Ranjan is a lawyer and researcher.