A new WIEGO survey finds 90% of Delhi’s street vendors cut their working hours during the 2025 heatwave as extreme temperatures made outdoor work unbearable.
96% reported a sharp fall in customers, while many vendors — especially food sellers — lost goods due to spoilage in the heat.
The study highlights serious gaps in basic amenities, including water, toilets and shade across major markets in the capital.
Researchers say harassment and evictions by authorities also increased, worsening the crisis for informal workers already struggling with falling incomes.
Street vendors in Delhi, already lacking basic amenities, also face rising harassment and exclusion, according to a new report by Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), a global network of informal workers.
The intense heat gripping the national capital is no longer just a weather event. For thousands of street vendors across Delhi, it has become a threat to their livelihoods and health.
A survey examining the impact of the severe 2025 summer heatwave found that most vendors were forced to shorten their working hours, as extreme temperatures made it difficult to remain on the streets. Many also faced losses of goods, falling customer numbers and rising expenses.
Researchers say the findings highlight how climate extremes are disproportionately affecting informal workers who rely on outdoor livelihoods.
The study explored how the summer heatwave affected street vendors in Delhi. The report was prepared by Shalini Sinha, WIEGO’s expert on home-based work and Asia strategy, along with urban affairs researcher Aravind Unni, and researchers Rituraj Pegu and Marcela Valdivia.
The two-round survey found that men outnumbered women among the vendors interviewed. Most respondents were aged between 36 and 55, followed by those between 26 and 35. Younger vendors aged 25 or under, and older vendors above 55, accounted for about 20 per cent of those surveyed.
Overall, 77 per cent of vendors were between the ages of 25 and 54, with little variation in age distribution between men and women. The findings suggest that street vending remains a key livelihood for adults in the prime of their working lives.
The survey found that the extreme heat sharply reduced customer activity across markets.
Around 96 per cent of vendors said they experienced a significant drop in customers after the 2025 heatwave. The trend was reported across genders and types of goods sold, as many people stayed indoors to avoid the heat.
As a result, 90 per cent of vendors said they voluntarily reduced their working hours because standing in the sun without shade had become nearly impossible.
Loss of goods also emerged as a major problem. The survey found that 72 per cent of vendors experienced damage or spoilage of goods.
Those selling fruits, vegetables and prepared food reported the highest losses, with 94 per cent affected. This compared with 57 per cent of vendors selling non-food items and 41 per cent of those offering services.
The lack of shade worsened the situation. Vendors operating without any cover were far more likely to cut their working hours.
Researchers say reduced income, combined with rising daily costs for water, electricity and shade arrangements, has intensified financial pressures for vendors already struggling to meet household needs.
The heatwave has also had serious health consequences.
In the second round of the survey, 79 per cent of vendors — or their family members — reported consulting a doctor for heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke, dehydration and extreme fatigue.
The study found that the financial burden of medical treatment contributed to a sharp rise in borrowing.
Overall borrowing among vendors doubled between the two rounds of the survey. Women were particularly affected, with debt rising by 50 percentage points, compared with a 40-percentage-point increase among men.
Researchers say this may reflect the additional household responsibilities often carried by women, which can increase financial pressure during periods of extreme weather.
The WIEGO team also mapped conditions in 17 major markets across Delhi where many street vendors operate on pavements, roads or roadside spaces.
They found that none of the markets had a municipal water point.
As a result, vendors were forced to buy water or bring it from home. The cost ranged from Rs 50 to 300 per day, amounting in some cases to more than Rs 6,000 per month.
Toilet facilities were also either absent or inadequate. Where toilets existed, vendors often had to pay to use them. Separate facilities for women were particularly scarce.
The lack of shade and shelter was another widespread problem.
Researchers warn that such gaps in basic infrastructure pose health risks even in normal conditions, but can become life-threatening during heatwaves.
The survey also recorded a sharp increase in harassment and eviction during the heatwave period.
More than 40 per cent of vendors reported harassment by municipal authorities or police in the first round of the survey. In the second round, this rose to 65 per cent.
Evictions also increased significantly.
Some of the highest eviction rates were reported in Jahangirpuri (92 per cent), Mayur Vihar (70 per cent) and Narela (67 per cent).
Male vendors appeared to be more frequently targeted, which researchers suggest may be linked to their greater visibility in public spaces.
The report also found that early warning systems were limited in their reach.
Less than one-third of vendors reported receiving timely heat alerts. Although some women vendors had better access to support networks through organisations such as SEWA, many vendors still lacked effective protection.
While most vendors possessed ration cards and were able to access food support schemes, researchers said these measures were not sufficient to deal with climate-related economic shocks.
In many cases, warnings were not issued in local languages and were based only on temperature readings rather than the heat index, which better reflects how heat is experienced by the human body.
The researchers say the findings underline the need for stronger policy measures to protect informal workers from climate risks.
They call for better implementation of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which is intended to safeguard the rights and livelihoods of street vendors.
According to the report, punitive approaches such as harassment and eviction should be replaced with supportive policies.
The study also calls for urgent improvements in basic infrastructure — including access to water, toilets, shade and shelter — which researchers say are essential for vendors’ safety during extreme heat.
It further recommends expanding social protection schemes and developing climate-responsive policies to support informal workers whose livelihoods depend on working outdoors.