1. Indian garbage pickers facing survival challenges in extreme heat
2. Indian waste collectors uncertain about their future amid scorching temperatures.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage
As the scorching summer heat envelops India, the daily struggles of millions of people are exacerbated by the extreme temperatures.
The unpleasant odour of burning waste permeates the air for miles around the landfill on the outskirts of Jammu, a city in northern India. This toxic miasma is fueled by the refuse generated by a population of approximately 740,000 individuals.
Despite the noxious fumes and stifling heat, some citizens are compelled to sift through the garbage in search of anything of value to sell, earning a meagre sum equivalent to €3.70 a day at best.
“If we don’t do this, we don’t get any food to eat,” explains 65-year-old Usmaan Shekh. “We try to take a break for a few minutes when it gets too hot, but mostly we just continue till we can’t.”
You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?
Shekh and his family are among the estimated 1.5 to four million individuals who eke out a living by scavenging through India’s waste. However, climate change is making this already hazardous job even more perilous.
In Jammu, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, temperatures have soared above 43°C this summer, posing a severe challenge to the residents.
Tragically, at least one individual perished in the recent heatwave in northern India, identified as a waste picker.
Understanding the Risks of Working Near India’s Landfills
During the summer months, the escalating heat intensifies the emission of gases such as methane and carbon dioxide in landfills. These gases can be hazardous to inhale due to the depleted oxygen levels in the landfill environment.
Furthermore, nearly all landfill fires occur during the summer season, burning for days on end.
India generates a staggering 62 billion kilograms of waste annually, with some landfills, like the Ghaziabad site near New Delhi, resembling towering mountains of garbage.
Although a law enacted in 2016 mandates the segregation of waste to prevent hazardous materials from reaching landfills, enforcement of the legislation has been lax, compounding the risks for waste pickers.
Impact of Climate Change on Waste Pickers
Bharati Chaturvedi, the founder of the New Delhi-based Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, highlights the challenges faced by waste pickers, who are already vulnerable to social discrimination and deplorable working conditions.
Chaturvedi remarks, “It’s been a terrible, terrible, terrible year. They already expect to suffer from the heat, and that gives them a lot of anxiety because they don’t know if they’ll make it, if they’ll survive it [the summer].”
The extreme heat has exacerbated the existing risks faced by waste pickers, who come into contact with a range of hazardous materials while working under gruelling conditions.
Heatstroke, cardiovascular issues, and chronic kidney diseases are among the health risks associated with prolonged exposure to high temperatures.
Abhiyant Tiwari, who leads the climate resilience team at the Natural Resources Defence Council’s India programme, underscores the vulnerability of waste pickers to heat-related illnesses.
Challenges Faced by Garbage Pickers
In New Delhi, some waste pickers have had to reduce their meals from two a day to just one due to the scorching heat. The intense conditions force them to consider their health and well-being over their livelihood.
Geeta Devi, a 55-year-old waste picker at the Bhalswa landfill in New Delhi, shares her struggles of working in the heat to earn a meagre income to support her family.
Despite the challenges, Devi perseveres, stating, “It is difficult to do my job because of the heat – but I have no other job.”
Efforts must be made to provide waste pickers with access to water, shade, and medical care to mitigate the impact of the scorching heat on their health and well-being.
While India has made strides in developing heat action plans, the implementation of these measures nationwide remains a significant challenge.
It is crucial for society to come together to protect waste pickers and ensure their safety and well-being in the face of increasingly severe climate conditions.
.
– Indian garbage pickers working in extreme heat
– Survival challenges faced by Indian garbage pickers.
