1. Garbage pickers in India
2. Extreme heat and dangerous job for India’s waste collectors.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
JAMMU, India (AP) — The putrid smell of burning garbage wafts for miles from the landfill on the outskirts of Jammu in a potentially toxic miasma fed by the plastics, industrial, medical and other waste generated by a city of some 740,000 people. But a handful of waste pickers ignore both the fumes and suffocating heat to sort through the rubbish, seeking anything they can sell to earn at best the equivalent of $4 a day.
“If we don’t do this, we don’t get any food to eat,” said 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.”
Shekh and his family are among the estimated 1.5 to 4 million people who scratch out a living searching through India’s waste — and climate change is making a hazardous job more dangerous than ever. In Jammu, a northern Indian city in the Himalayan foothills, temperatures this summer have regularly topped 43 degrees Celsius (about 110 Fahrenheit).
At least one person who died in northern India’s recent heat wave was identified as a garbage picker.
Health Risks and Environmental Impact
The landfills themselves seethe internally as garbage decomposes, and the rising heat of summer speeds and intensifies the process. That increases emissions of gases such as methane and carbon dioxide that are dangerous to breathe. Almost all landfill fires come in summer, experts say, and can burn for days.
India generates at least 62 million tons of waste annually, according to federal government records, and some of its landfills are literal mountains of garbage, like the Ghaziabad landfill outside New Delhi. While a 2016 law made it mandatory to segregate waste to prevent hazardous material from reaching landfills, the law has been poorly enforced, adding to the risk of waste pickers.
“Since they mostly just use their hands, they are already contaminated by touching everything from diapers to diabetes syringes,” said Bharati Chaturvedi, founder of the New Delhi-based Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group.
The Impact of Extreme Heat
Chaturvedi, who has worked with waste pickers for more than two decades, said extreme heat has added new risks to waste pickers who are already victims of social discrimination and appalling work conditions.
“It’s been a terrible, terrible, terrible year,” she said. “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).”
Heat planning and public health experts say that people who are forced to work outdoors are at most risk due to prolonged heat exposure. Heatstroke, cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney diseases are some of the risks from working outdoors during high heat.
Protecting Waste Pickers
Waste pickers “are among the most vulnerable and highly exposed to heat,” said Abhiyant Tiwari, who leads the climate resilience team at the Natural Resources Defense Council’s India program.
Tiwari and Chaturvedi both said it’s essential to give waste pickers access to a regular water supply, shade, or a relatively cool building near the landfills. They should also be encouraged to avoid working at high heat and given prompt medical care when they need it, they said.
Tiwari said India has taken significant steps to devise heat action plans but implementing the plans all across the country is a challenge.
“As a society, we have a responsibility to protect them (garbage pickers),” said Tiwari. Simple steps can help, such as offering them water if they’re standing outside people’s homes, rather than asking them to leave, he said.
Conclusion
Geeta Devi, a 55-year-old garbage picker at the Bhalswa landfill in New Delhi, says when she feels dizzy in the heat she takes shelter and sometimes someone gives her water or food. But she has to work to earn the 150-200 rupees ($1.80 to $2.40) per day that puts food on the table for her children.
It is clear that waste pickers in India are facing increasing risks due to climate change and extreme heat. It is crucial for society to take steps to protect these vulnerable individuals and ensure their safety and well-being.
___
Follow Sibi Arasu on X at @sibi123
___
Arasu reported from Bengaluru and Nagpal reported from New Delhi.
___
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
.
India garbage pickers dangerous job extreme heat
India garbage pickers miserable job extreme heat.
A Teaspoon Before Bedtime Makes you Lose 32LBS in 2 Weeks.
Related Post : Remember Tiger Wood's Ex Wife, Elin Nordegren ? Take a Look at Her Now.
The Conjoined Twins Abby & Brittany Hensel are No Longer Together.
