Searing heat and record-breaking temperatures are making headlines every summer, in India and across the world. The link between climate change and human health is now more pronounced.
The increased risk of heat-related illness (HRI), and even death, is being studied with fresh interest, especially because there is an urgent need to find suitable coping mechanisms.
In India, the urban heat island effect is being talked about, but there is little focus on the hinterland, where a significant populace lives in makeshift dwellings without adequate ventilation. Heat stress, referred to as the ‘silent killer’, also adversely impacts work efficiency and livelihood.
The World Health Organization estimates that heat exposure is likely to cause anywhere from 38,000 to over 100,000 additional deaths per year during the 2030s and the 2050s.
A recent study in five villages in Wardha district, Vidarbha, Maharashtra, throws light on the conditions villagers live in. Titled ‘Extreme indoor temperature, a growing health hazard in rural areas of India’, by Premsagar Prakash Tasgaonkar and Kamal Kumar Murari, it surveyed 2,672 villagers and monitored the indoor temperatures of 700 homes during summer. The findings show alarmingly high indoor temperatures in tin-roofed homes, peaking at 37–38 degrees C in June. The highest indoor temperature was recorded in a tin roof house, reaching 40 degrees C, while cement slab houses recorded an average temperature of 38.5 degrees C. The researchers found that nearly 45 per cent of the surveyed homes had tin roofs. Only 2.1 per cent of homes had heat-resilient straw roofs.
Health hazards
The survey reported significant health symptoms. Over 82 per cent of respondents talked of at least one heat-related symptom (HRS), including fatigue (22 per cent), heavy sweating (20 per cent), and intense thirst (16 per cent). Some reported severe symptoms like fainting, hallucinations, and paranoia. The study recommended mitigation strategies including wearing loose clothing, drinking water frequently, and covering the head with a traditional scarf.
Tasgaonkar, currently a researcher at Pune’s Watershed Organisation Trust, recalls the coping mechanisms he witnessed: “Pregnant women would sit under shaded trees in the afternoon or pour water on the house floor to bring down indoor temperatures. They would wet window curtains to let them catch the wind and cool the temperature.” He found mothers covering their school-going children’s water bottles with wet jute fabric to keep the water cool. “Though aganwadis did keep rehydration therapy powder, it would be good if desert coolers are installed,” he said.
But the most important step would be to develop a heat action plan for rural areas, tailored for local needs through sufficient health inputs.