Braving the Heat: Learning from the Voices of the Street Vendors
Published in April 2026

Street Vendors, the informal urban outdoor workers, are one of the most vulnerable populations to heat-related impacts. We studied their perceptions, awareness, and lived experiences of extreme heat. The study provides an in-depth account of their experiences of heat-related morbidity, the nexus of multiple vulnerabilities they navigate, and their coping responses. This article brings together key insights from this research and juxtaposes them with current heat action strategies. It reflects on the need to align Heat Actions with real-world conditions and suggests some forward-looking steps.

Rising Temperatures, Silent Suffering: Lived Experiences of Heat Stress and Its Impact on Health among Street Vendors
Published in April 2026

Extreme heat is a growing public health concern that disproportionately affects certain disadvantaged communities. The situation calls for urgent action—placing adaptation and resilience-building on par with mitigation efforts.The communities that are most affected by extreme heat actively navigate and respond to challenging environments. Their perceptions, awareness, and lived experiences of harm offer important insights to align adaptation actions with on-ground realities. This working paper presents a firsthand account of the heat-related health experiences and economic strain experienced by street vendors in Pune city.

Parametric Insurance for Extreme Heat: Setting right expectations
Published in April 2026

Extreme heat is emerging as one of the major climate risks in India. Outdoor and informal workers are especially vulnerable. In this context, Parametric Insurance (PI) is increasingly being discussed as a potential heat adaptation intervention by offering a digital solution of quick, small payouts to insured individuals once temperatures cross a certain threshold. While parametric insurance offers certain advantages, it also has some conceptual limitations and operational challenges. In this article, we discuss both the strengths and limitations of parametric insurance highlighting the need to set realistic expectations about its role and impact.

Extreme heat and low Income households in Pune city
Published in March 2026

This article examines indoor heat exposure and health impacts in low-income households based on a survey of 500 households across 10 low-income settlements in Pune in Summer 2025. Indoor temperatures exceed ambient levels, compounded by high humidity, resulting in widespread discomfort during day and night despite use of fans and coolers. Awareness of heat's serious health consequences remains low. A majority of households report more than three heat-related illness symptoms, and a large proportion seek treatment at private facilities.

Summer of 2025 in Maharashtra
Published in May 2025

2024 was the hottest year since temperature records have been maintained, with summer ​temperatures reaching extreme levels across Maharashtra, particularly so, in the night. How about the summer of 2025? This interactive dashboard presents analysis of the temperature data from January to April 2025 for Maharashtra, which also shows that the summer arrived much earlier this year, and day and night temperatures remained warmer than normal across the state.

Beyond Strokes: How dangerous is extreme heat?
Published in April 2025

This article delves into the undercounting of  health impacts caused by extreme heat in India. While official reports often cite a limited number of heat-related illnesses and heat stroke deaths, studies suggest that the actual impact is significantly higher, with thousands of deaths potentially linked to heat exposure. The undercounting  of heat-related impacts has several  implications. The article elaborates on the wide-ranging health impacts of extreme heat, the challenges in accurately tracking these effects, and how these gaps affect the policy responses. A version of this article subsequently appeared in Maharashtra Times, in print and online on 21 May 2025. Click here to download the same.

No one likes it hot (and humid)
Published in March 2025

This article examines the escalating heat stress in Maharashtra, using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) to assess heat stress, revealing that both daytime and nighttime UTCI in 2024 surpassed historical averages, with some areas experiencing extreme conditions for up to 15 consecutive days. The article also emphasizes the need for a locally validated heat index and real-time weather data to inform effective adaptation strategies, and calls for improved data accessibility to support timely interventions. It also briefly discusses the challenges of using various data sources and parameters for analyzing the weather patterns.