This Summer, Extreme Heat Will Make Work Harder And Riskier For Millions Of Indians

Last Updated:March 11, 2026, 19:39 IST

Extreme heat is no longer a seasonal discomfort for Indians. Without serious preparation, it could severely impair young adults' ability to study, work, commute, earn a livelihood

India got a stark preview of what lies ahead during the summer months as temperatures touched a seasonal high of 42 degrees Celsius in Gujarat’s Rajkot and, that too, in the first 10 days of March.

With the sun relentlessly beating down through the day, severe heatwaves have already hit some states as temperatures exceeded seven degrees above normal. Mercury has already breached the 40 degrees Celsius not only in Saurashtra-Kutch region of Gujarat, but Konkan-Goa, West Rajasthan, Madhya Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

Rising heat and humidity are upending lives and livelihoods worldwide, and India is no exception. But these challenges are becoming especially severe for Indians, many of whom have to earn their daily bread in such conditions.

A new study examining how heat and humidity limit safe human activity has highlighted a sharp increase in heat-related livability constraints globally over the past 75 years with just over 1 degree Celsius of historical global warming. There were significant spikes during El Niño years, when sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are also warmer than usual.

The study published in peer-reviewed journal Environment Research: Health showed how older adults (18 to 40 years) are most affected with widespread activity restrictions, especially in tropical regions like India. In the hottest hours of the year, some places already experienced “unlivable" conditions where no physical activity is safe, researchers warned.

In India, limitations are most severe across the Indo-Gangetic plains and eastern lowlands, which remain the most vulnerable. In its summer outlook, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already warned of above-normal heatwave days in this region covering eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Gangetic West Bengal – known to experience unusually long and intense heatwaves each summer.

A QUESTION OF LIVELIHOODS AND SURVIVAL

Researchers had used a human heat balance model to estimate, globally, where ambient temperatures and humidity already limit “livability", or the level of physical activity that a person can safely sustain without experiencing an uncontrolled rise in body temperature.

The analysis showed that in many countries like India, even light activity in the shade may become unsafe during the hottest times of the year due to extreme heat stress. In fact, it limits safe outdoor activity for older adults for about 25 to 33 percent of the year even in the shade. This effectively makes some places “unlivable" for physical activity, and even less suitable for work.

In the national capital, the day temperature already touched 35.5 degrees Celsius – seven notches above normal – for this time of the year. So, we need to remember that this scorching summer is not just weather or seasonal discomfort, but a critical question of ‘livability’, ‘workability’ and ‘survivability’ for millions of Indians.

“In some regions like eastern India, some locations already show extreme livability limitations for younger adults, where even sitting in the shade with some air movement could present a risk of heat illness," the study warned.

This is far worse for individuals who cannot escape to a cooler environment due to their work, especially farmers, daily wagers, or those with lower incomes or and may succumb to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. Clearly, without serious and urgent preparation, this searing heat is set to severely impair young adults’ ability to study, work, commute and earn their livelihoods during summer.

News india This Summer, Extreme Heat Will Make Work Harder And Riskier For Millions Of Indians

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