GS III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
Context: Climate resilience in Indian cities requires integrating public health, labour welfare and urban governance, with particular attention to sanitation workers, who face disproportionate climate risks due to rising heat, inadequate housing and limited social protection.
Climate Change as an Urban Governance Challenge
- Beyond Environmental Impacts: Climate change is not merely an environmental issue but also a challenge of urban governance, public health and social equity.
- Unequal Vulnerability: Climate impacts are mediated by housing quality, employment conditions, healthcare access, social protection and urban infrastructure, making vulnerable groups disproportionately affected.
- Human-Centred Development: Urban resilience should be measured by how effectively cities protect the health, well-being and livelihoods of essential workers.
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Sanitation Workers and Climate Vulnerability
- Essential Workforce: Sanitation workers, including street sweepers, waste collectors and drain cleaners, perform critical services that sustain urban life.
- Occupational Heat Exposure: Increasing heatwaves have transformed extreme heat from an occasional hazard into a routine occupational risk.
- Health Risks: Prolonged heat exposure can cause dehydration, heat exhaustion, kidney disorders, cardiovascular illnesses and reduced work productivity.
- Double Burden: Many sanitation workers face climate risks both at the workplace and at home, especially in vulnerable settlements.
Urban Inequalities and Climate Risks
- Informal Settlements: A significant proportion of sanitation workers reside in informal settlements with inadequate housing, water supply, ventilation, drainage and green spaces.
- Water Insecurity: Limited access to safe drinking water increases vulnerability during heatwaves.
- Flood Vulnerability: Poor drainage infrastructure heightens exposure to urban flooding, water-borne diseases and environmental health risks.
Public Health Perspective
- Limits of Traditional Indicators: Conventional public health indicators such as mortality, disease prevalence and service coverage often fail to capture the functioning of urban systems.
- System Performance Indicator: The experiences of sanitation workers reflect the effectiveness of municipal governance, labour policies, housing, healthcare and social protection systems.
- Occupational Health: Urban healthcare systems should adequately address heat-related illnesses and other climate-sensitive occupational health risks.
Challenges in Existing Governance
- Healthcare Access: Urban Primary Health Centres (PHCs) may not be adequately equipped or accessible for workers suffering from occupational heat-related conditions.
- Social Protection Gaps: Administrative barriers, inadequate awareness and documentation requirements often prevent workers from accessing welfare schemes.
- Fragmented Governance: Climate action, public health, urban planning and labour welfare continue to operate in institutional silos.
- Evidence Deficit: Limited data exists on occupational heat exposure, health outcomes, healthcare costs and long-term climate impacts on urban workers.
Need for Integrated Climate Action
- Climate-Sensitive Occupational Health: Heat Action Plans should incorporate worker protection measures for municipal and contract sanitation workers.
- Worker Safety Measures: Ensure access to drinking water, shaded rest areas, modified work schedules during extreme heat and routine health monitoring.
- Strengthen Informal Settlements: Improve housing, water supply, drainage, sanitation and urban green infrastructure to reduce climate vulnerability.
- Climate-Responsive Healthcare: Strengthen urban healthcare systems to diagnose and manage heat-related illnesses and other climate-sensitive diseases.
Policy Priorities
- Integrated Urban Governance: Align climate resilience, public health, labour welfare and urban planning under a coordinated governance framework.
- Better Data Systems: Develop comprehensive data on occupational climate exposure, health-seeking behaviour and long-term health outcomes.
- Health Mainstreaming: Treat health as a cross-sectoral objective across housing, urban development, labour policies and climate planning.
- Inclusive Climate Planning: Ensure that vulnerable occupational groups are explicitly incorporated into city climate action plans.
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Challenges
- Growing Heat Stress: Increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves are raising occupational health risks.
- Weak Urban Infrastructure: Deficiencies in water supply, housing, drainage and green cover amplify climate vulnerability.
- Institutional Fragmentation: Lack of coordination between multiple government departments reduces policy effectiveness.
- Social Inequalities: Informal employment and weak social protection further increase the vulnerability of sanitation workers.
Way Forward
- Strengthen Heat Action Plans: Integrate comprehensive occupational safety measures for sanitation workers into all urban Heat Action Plans.
- Improve Urban Infrastructure: Invest in climate-resilient housing, water security, drainage and green infrastructure.
- Enhance Public Health Systems: Equip Primary Health Centres to manage climate-sensitive occupational diseases through specialised training and services.
- Expand Social Protection: Simplify access to welfare schemes and strengthen financial and health security for sanitation workers.
- Promote Integrated Governance: Institutionalise coordination among urban development, health, labour, environment and local government agencies.
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Conclusion
Inclusive urban climate action requires integrating climate adaptation, public health, labour welfare and urban governance, ensuring that essential workers—particularly sanitation workers—are protected through stronger institutions, resilient infrastructure and equitable public policies.
1 Jul 2026
