As India faces more frequent and intense heatwaves, extreme temperatures are emerging as a major workplace hazard, especially for outdoor and manual workers.
The article argues that heat is no longer just a weather event but a governance, labour and economic challenge, and calls for a coordinated national heat governance framework to protect workers, sustain productivity and safeguard public health.
A bottle of water, a cold drink, an air conditioner, or a shaded café—when temperatures soar, relief often comes at a price. For those who can afford it, extreme heat has become another expense. For millions of workers and the common man who spend long hours outdoors, it is a daily struggle with few options beyond endurance. As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, the question is no longer how individuals cope with the heat, but how governments should protect people from it.
Spain’s declaration of its first national wildfire emergency amid record-breaking temperatures is a stark reminder that climate change is no longer just an environmental concern. It is increasingly becoming a governance challenge affecting public health, worker safety and economic productivity.
India is among the countries most vulnerable to extreme heat. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), by 2030 the world could lose 2.2 per cent of total working hours due to heat stress, equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs, while India alone could lose nearly 5.8 per cent of its working hours—approximately 34 million full-time jobs. These figures underline that rising temperatures are not merely a climate issue but a growing economic challenge requiring institutional action.
This economic risk is further complicated by a profound public awareness gap. According to a 2025 Climate Communication Study, while a vast majority of the Indian population experiences severe worry over irregular monsoons, water scarcity, and rising heat, very few can formally define terms like ‘global warming’. For the common man, the climate crisis is experienced as an increasingly volatile, unpredictable shift in their immediate, everyday environment. This makes top-down advisories less effective, as people struggle to prepare for a structural crisis, they cannot easily name.
The consequences of rising temperatures are not confined to forests and wildfires. A quieter but equally significant crisis is unfolding across sectors, where millions of workers continue to perform physically demanding jobs under increasingly hazardous conditions, exposing them to prolonged outdoor heatwaves every day.
Heatwaves are therefore no longer merely a meteorological phenomenon. They have become a governance challenge, a public health concern, a labour issue and an economic risk.
Industries form the backbone of India’s economy, and their productivity depends directly on the health, safety and efficiency of their workforce. Rising temperatures impair concentration, slow reaction times, increase fatigue and elevate the risk of heat stress, leading to lower productivity, higher absenteeism, supply chain disruptions and increased healthcare costs. The economic consequences extend beyond individual enterprises, affecting industrial output. Protecting workers from climate-related risks is therefore not merely a welfare measure—it is an investment in economic resilience, sustainable industrial growth and national productivity.
Unlike floods, cyclones and other natural disasters where institutional response mechanisms are well established, heatwaves continue to be treated largely as seasonal weather events. As a result, administrative responses often remain advisory in nature rather than operational, leaving district authorities without a structured governance framework for protecting vulnerable populations.
Some cities in India have already enacted the framework to tackle the heatwave crisis. Following the 2010 Major Heat Wave, Ahmedabad launched its first Heat Action Plan (HAP) in 2013, the first Municipal Plan in South Asia. It alerts those populations most at risk of heat-related illness that extreme heat conditions can exacerbate and advises on how to take precautionary measures. Independent results have indicated a reduction in heat-related mortality and improved institutional preparedness, making it one of the most widely recognised urban heat governance models in South Asia.
Similar examples of adaptive governance already exist for extreme summer heat in Karnataka. The government here has revised the working hours of government offices, staggered timings and restricted strenuous work during peak afternoon temperatures so that employees could complete their work before the hottest part of the day. This simple administrative adjustment demonstrates that adapting work schedules to climatic conditions is both practical and effective, increasing worker safety and productivity.
India does not lack institutional mechanisms for occupational safety. Statutory authorities such as the Factory Inspectorate, the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other sector-specific regulators already prescribe safety standards, inspect workplaces and issue preventive guidelines to minimise occupational hazards. The challenge is to integrate their efforts into a coordinated heat governance framework extending from workplaces to district administrations and the wider public.
It requires meaningful social dialogue between government, employers and workers to develop practical workplace measures such as flexible working hours, revised work-rest cycles, improved hydration and shade facilities, appropriate protective clothing and the adoption of cooling technologies. Such collaboration will not only safeguard worker health but also sustain productivity and operational continuity in an increasingly warmer climate.
At the national level, India should consider developing a National Heat Governance Framework that integrates workplace safety, public health and district-level climate preparedness into a coordinated institutional response. Rather than creating another regulatory layer, the framework should strengthen existing occupational safety mechanisms while providing uniform guidance to states and district administrations for protecting both workers and the common man during periods of extreme heat.
Within this framework, District Commissioners should serve as the nodal authority for heatwave governance at the district level, using their existing administrative and disaster management powers to coordinate Heat Action Plans across departments. These plans can extend beyond emergency advisories to include revised working hours for government offices during severe heatwaves, coordination with municipal bodies, health departments and sectoral agencies, targeted public awareness campaigns, provision of drinking water and cooling facilities at public places, and temporary rescheduling of outdoor public works during peak afternoon temperatures. Such an approach would ensure that national policy is translated into effective local action through coordinated administration, proactive planning and timely implementation.
Such reforms would make work-places heat resilient, improve productivity, reduce accidents, minimise operational disruptions and lower healthcare costs. Together, these measures strengthen economic resilience while advancing the broader objectives of sustainable development and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles.
Spain’s wildfire emergency is a reminder that climate change is accelerating faster than policy responses. India has an opportunity to lead by shifting its approach from seasonal heatwave relief to institutional heatwave governance. The question is no longer whether extreme heat is a recurring climate risk. The question is whether our institutions are prepared to respond to it before it becomes a public health and economic crisis.
The success of climate governance in the coming decades will not be judged only by how effectively nations reduce emissions or protect forests. It will also be judged by how well governments anticipate heatwaves, coordinate institutions, and protect both workers and the common man before extreme temperatures become a public health and economic crisis.
Sandeep R Manakeshwar is an independent writer on public policy, environment, governance and sustainable development
Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth