From Asha staff to gig workers, Bengaluru’s heat leaves the vulnerable behind

Bengaluru: As Bengaluru bakes in the peak summer amid fears of a heatwave, how are the vulnerable sections coping? First-hand accounts from those in the solid waste management, primary health delivery and gig economy sector show the city, which extracts hard labour at a cheap price, fails them at every level, from failing to provide drinking water and toilets to neglecting their health.

The testimonials were shared as part of a workshop on ‘Extreme Heat and its Impact on Bengaluru’ organised by Karnataka Media Academy and ASAR against the backdrop of the city registering a maximum temperature of 38.2 degrees C on Monday. The felt temperature is exacerbated by built-up areas and other conditions of climate change.

Farhana, an Asha worker assigned to the primary health centre in West Bengaluru’s Kamalanagar, said she avoids drinking water due to lack of access to toilets during work.

“I start my day around 9.30 am after sending children to school, and visit about 50 houses. Besides visiting the target families (pregnant women, tuberculosis patients and others), I also conduct larvae survey on at least two streets before reaching the PHC at 2.30 pm. Till then, I am scared of drinking water,” she said.

Farhana covers about 650 houses in a ‘high risk area’, mostly slums where the poor live. “Most often, these are small houses. During my rounds, I can request someone for water, but it is difficult to seek permission to use their toilet. So, I often avoid drinking water till I return to the PHC,” she said.

Over the last two years, the Asha Workers Union has given multiple representations to the government to change uniform, from synthetic to cotton clothes in summer. The union’s state secretary even submitted samples of clothes that will reduce suffering of workers. “No action has been taken,” she said.

(From left) Lingaraju, a gig worker, dry waste centre operator Mansoor Ghouse and Asha worker Farhana share their ordeal at a workshop in Bengaluru.

Mansoor Ghouse, who segregates 2 tonnes of waste at his dry waste collection centre (DWCC) in Pattabhiramanagar, earns a living by reducing burden of the state in collecting and segregating waste. However, it comes at a cost.

“There are health complications, especially skin infections. We don’t get health check-ups or other facilities from the government. Going to a government hospital means losing an entire day’s work, which I cannot afford. I end up paying hefty bills in private clinics,” he said.

To a question by the audience, Ghouse said only NGOs have distributed safety gloves and mask. “We cannot use the mask for more than half an hour. Not in this heat. The DWCC doesn’t even have a fan, let alone toilet and other facilities. The gloves don’t hold after a certain time,” he said.

Lack of hydration and immediate cooling requirements will have a debilitating effect on workers like Farhana and Ghouse who are exposed to heat for long durations. Multiple studies warn lack of such facilities will lead to heat stroke besides impact on vital organs.

The testimony of Lingaraju K, a food delivery partner, showed that the state can be touchy when it comes to listening to the ordeal of those left behind.

Lingaraju spoke at length on the ordeal of delivering food in the heat and that they are not allowed to rest or use toilets at hotels, where they pick food for delivery. He said the government too has not provided any facility.

A member of the audience, however, pointed to Karnataka Platform Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Act. He asked Lingaraju whether the welfare board set up under the Act was not providing facilities.

Lingaraju appeared a bit confused and answered in the negative. He said he was not aware of the association and board membership.

This was enough to prick a representative of a state institution and ask Lingaraju “not to spread misinformation”.

“It was my first time on a stage and I was a little confused. We do have an association. The fact is we have not received any benefits from any board. There was no misinformation in what I said,” he said.

Vinay Sarathi, who heads the gig workers union and is a member of the Gig Workers Board, said that no benefits have been rolled out. “We are yet to register workers,” he said.