x

Like our Facebook Page

   
Early Times Newspaper Jammu, Leading Newspaper Jammu
 
Breaking News :   In the Shadows of Raja: “Bou Buttu Bhuta” Redefines Odia Cinema with Spectral Allegory of Rural Struggle | The role of the Anganwadi worker has evolved in tandem | Mental rabies means distance from humans, closeness with dogs | Today, Students must be Empowered to Choose not just what is “Safe,” | Sainik Sahayta Kendra | Under PM Modi’s leadership, J&K emerging as education, innovation hub: LG Sinha | Statehood to J&K: Cong mobilizing support of all 233 opposition Lok Sabha members to mount pressure | Kavinder Gupta assumes charge as Ladakh LG | ‘Want Ladakh to be recognised top tourism destination’ | DGP Prabhat reviews Bhadarwah security | CM Omar interacts with citizens at Raabita office in Srinagar | US designates LeT proxy TRF responsible for Pahalgam attack as terrorist organisation | Fresh batch of over 7,900 pilgrims leaves for holy cave shrine | Ahead of ‘Monsoon Session,’ Rajnath, Shah discuss ‘Operation Sindoor’ with NSA, tri-service chiefs | Truck hits car carrying Amarnath pilgrims, 8 injured | Man killed in Kathua accident | Traffic management committee | ACB arrests JDA official for accepting bribe | IT Deptt enables online utility for ITR-2 filing | CISF achieves record medal haul in 2024-25 | Jammu admin disburses Rs 24. 60 lakh compensation in 1 month | ZPHQ Jammu organises farewell ceremony | Janipur police nabs drug peddler wit 5 grams of heroin substance | Farooq hails Congress for taking up J&K statehood issue | CM Yogi's water conservation drive yields remarkable results in UP | DB upheld acquittal of KZF members | ADGP Armed felicitated DySP (Retd) Surjeet Choudhary | 75th anniversary of NSSO celebrated in Jammu | Dr Andrabi visits Eidgah Srinagar, meets youth delegations | Every disaster a lesson to learn from: CS | Doda police traced out missing lady and re-united with her family | Ramban police organized 'BHAROSA' awareness programmes | Improving infrastructure in lord Krishna's land is priority: Hema Malini | YRS will announce president after 23rd September celebration | APS Akhnoor hosts inspiring felicitation ceremony | Fake social media accounts being used to spark caste tensions, says CM Yogi Adityanath | Kathua police arrests absconder evading arrest | JKAACL organizes plantation campaign | The World Stands with Bharat, A Resounding Blow to Pakistan-Backed Terrorism: Gaurav | CS to kick start Vicharnag Temple renovation work today | NC workers join SBSP | Central University of Jammu organizes "Thursday Mind Meet" | Jammu police gifts selfie point to Akhnoor after national recognition | SKUAST-Jammu organizes ZREAC Kharif meeting | LPU inaugurates Real-World Tech Workplaces at Campus with Capgemini Code Experience Lab | DDC Kathua approves Rs 74.52 Cr District Capex Budget for FY 2025-26 | Bovine smuggling bid foiled by Doda police | First meeting of the 56th IFFI steering committee held in Mumbai | Inter-Nursing College Poster Competition held | Akhnnor Sports Club honours badminton players | India U-31 team wins bronze, U-16 finishes fourth in World Youth Team Bridge Championships | World Women's Chess Cup: All four Indians to play tie-breaks | Jadeja's "incredible fight" at Lord's Test earns him Team India's MVP tag | Free entry for Durand Cup at Jamshedpur | Didn't know that a national women's football team existed when I started out: Aditi Chauhan | Back Issues  
 
news details
Climate experts seek ‘right to cool’, heat protection for informal sector workers
4/20/2025 10:06:37 PM
New Delhi, Apr 20:
Agencies

Climate experts have proposed urgent measures, including paid heat leave, free water ATMs at labour hubs and legal recognition for the ‘right to cool’, to protect India’s informal workforce during the extreme summer months.
More than 80 per cent of Delhi’s workers, including street vendors, construction labourers and ragpickers, face severe health risks and income loss due to extreme heat. The women among them are disproportionately affected, the experts said.
Amruta, a campaigner at Greenpeace India, highlighted that heat waves were no longer just weather events but disasters for those without shelter, water or rest spaces.
A Greenpeace India report last year found that 61 per cent of street vendors lost more than 40 per cent of their daily income during extreme heat while 75 per cent lacked access to cooling infrastructure near workplaces.
Hisham Mundol, chief advisor at Environmental Defense Fund – India, said informal workers bore the brunt of heat waves and rising cases of dehydration, heatstroke and chronic illnesses such as kidney damage underscored the urgent need for intervention.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted above-normal maximum temperatures for large parts of northwest, central, and eastern India between April and June.
In its seasonal outlook, the IMD warned that the number of heatwave days this summer might be significantly higher than usual, especially over Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and western Madhya Pradesh.
Delhi had recorded seven heatwave days in April 2024 alone, compared to a normal average of two to three.
With 82 per cent of working women in India engaged in informal labour, gender-responsive urban planning is critical.
Amruta of Greenpeace India said women faced compounding risks — lack of shaded vending zones, unsafe toilets and caregiving burdens.
“Gender-responsive urban planning could include measures such as (free) public toilets with water and hygiene facilities that are accessible and safe rest zones near transport hubs and marketplaces. A feminist approach to urban planning recognises the importance of end-to-end connectivity in public transport — ensuring not just access to buses and metros but safe, affordable and dignified commutes from home to the workplace and back,” she said.
Mundol said urban planning needed to be improved universally but it was also true that the circumstances of women impacted them uniquely.
“Better facilities for all such as shelters, drinking water and other public facilities are needed and sensitive thought has to be applied to make sure they are equally accessible and welcoming for women,” he said.
Pradeep Shah, co-founder of the social project initiative Grow-Trees.com, emphasised planning with gender-disaggregated data could create shaded, child-friendly workspaces, enhancing safety and resilience.
While the India Cooling Action Plan (2019) acknowledged cooling as a developmental need, the experts said it fell short in ensuring equitable access.
“Cooling disparities must be addressed as a basic right. A ‘right to cool’ under Article 21 would mandate shaded bus stops, cooling shelters, and thermal comfort for all,” Amruta said.
Mundol laid stress on the need for city-level heat action plans with enforceable measures — non-negotiable paid time off, water stations and cooling shelters on red-alert days.
The experts proposed several immediate solutions to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable populations.
These include installing shaded canopies made of heat-reflective materials in high-traffic areas, setting up free water ATMs near labour hubs to ensure hydration, and deploying mobile cooling stations equipped with fans and basic first-aid facilities.
Additionally, Amruta recommended keeping public parks accessible 24×7 to serve as natural cooling zones for those without shelter.
She called for heat waves to be officially declared a national disaster that would unlock emergency funds and compensation mechanisms for affected workers.
“Legal frameworks must integrate climate justice to ensure informal workers aren’t left behind,” she said.
Echoing her sentiment, Mundol said, “Climate justice means supporting those least responsible yet most impacted by rising temperatures.” Integrating climate justice into urban planning is going to be a key determinant for making the city an attractive place to live and invest in, he said.
“Green zones, shade, water and health services are needed and they need to be particularly organised where there are concentrations of informal workers,” he added.
The experts also stressed on the need for hyperlocal climate-risk mapping and participatory planning to tailor solutions to community needs.
“Green spaces, shade, and water access aren’t luxuries — they’re necessities,” Shah of Grow-Trees.com said.
Amruta added that ward-level climate plans, developed with direct community input, could foster more inclusive and resilient urban environments.
  Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network  
  Comment on this Story  
 
 
 
Early Times Android App
STOCK UPDATE
  
BSE Sensex
NSE Nifty
 
CRICKET UPDATE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
Home About Us Top Stories Local News National News Sports News Opinion Editorial ET Cetra Advertise with Us ET E-paper
 
 
J&K RELATED WEBSITES
J&K Govt. Official website
Jammu Kashmir Tourism
JKTDC
Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board
Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board
Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board
UTILITY
Train Enquiry
IRCTC
Matavaishnodevi
BSNL
Jammu Kashmir Bank
State Bank of India
PUBLIC INTEREST
Passport Department
Income Tax Department
JK CAMPA
JK GAD
IT Education
Web Site Design Services
EDUCATION
Jammu University
Jammu University Results
JKBOSE
Kashmir University
IGNOU Jammu Center
SMVDU