For the millions of Indians who cannot shelter in well-insulated houses with air conditioning, this heat is deadly. For rural farmers like Sandip, it is not possible to lay down work for a few days during a heat wave.
During this period, the field has to be prepared for the rest of the year, says Sandip. “I have to dig up stones from the field and lift them to the cart. Sometimes the headache, dizziness and cramps in my legs get too much and I have to lie down for half an hour in between.”
Little research has been done on the effects of heat on people in rural India. According to Dipak Zade, researcher at the Center for Resilience Studies, this is because it has long been assumed that heat is mainly a problem in the city, where people live close together.
But due to climate change, it is becoming extremely hot in more and more areas, including rural areas. “40 percent of India’s population works in agriculture and most of the work has to be done in the summer, before the monsoon comes,” explains Zade.
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