Wazzup Pilipinas!?
In the stifling, concrete maze of Shahbad Dairy, on the outskirts of Delhi, the air does not move. It hangs, heavy and hot, trapped by tin roofs and the density of a community forced to survive in the margins. As temperatures in India push past 40°C, a quiet, cruel crisis is unfolding—one measured not just in thermometers, but in the weave of a garment.
For the Dalit families of Shahbad Dairy, breathable fabric is a luxury they cannot afford. As the planet burns, the ability to keep cool has become a new, stark marker of caste inequality.
The Hidden Cost of Survival
For Poonam and her sister-in-law Ritika, a summer day is a endurance test. While tradition mandates that they cover their bodies in multiple layers of salwar kameez and dupatta, the textiles available to them are almost exclusively synthetic—polyester and nylon.
"This material makes you sweat more. It does not absorb sweat," Poonam says, her voice weary. She knows the solution: natural, breathable cotton. But in the local markets, a cotton ensemble costs upwards of INR 1,000—nearly three times the price of the synthetic alternatives that trap heat against their skin like a plastic shroud.
In a family where the primary earners, including their father-in-law Paale Ram, are trapped in the grueling, low-paid cycle of sewer and sanitation work, every rupee is a battle between survival and nutrition. Clothing, unfortunately, is the first thing to be sacrificed.
Caste, Class, and the Right to Breathe
This is not merely an economic struggle; it is a manifestation of entrenched systemic discrimination. Bezwada Wilson, national convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan, is blunt: "Unequal access to comfortable clothing is not just poverty but a caste issue."
The data is damning: nearly 70% of India’s sanitation and septic tank workers hail from oppressed castes. For them, heat is an occupational hazard that the state rarely acknowledges. While the government incentivizes the mass production of synthetic, man-made fabrics, those who need cooling protection the most are effectively priced out of the natural alternatives that could make their working hours under the sun bearable.
"If you come from an oppressed caste, your body is… disposable," says anti-caste activist and designer Jay Sagathia.
Double Discrimination: The Gendered Heat
The burden is not shared equally. Women, bound by traditional expectations of modesty, are forced to endure the heat under layers of clothing that offer no ventilation. Inside, the situation is dire; fans circulate air that has already been superheated by tin roofs, and air coolers only serve to turn the rooms into humid, breathless boxes.
The physical toll is evident. Paale Ram, who spends his days shoveling waste from open drains, has fainted twice this summer. He battles dizziness, eye pain, and chronic diarrhea—hallmarks of heat exhaustion. His only protection is a synthetic uniform that acts as a second, stifling skin.
A Plea for Dignity
As climate change accelerates, the vulnerability of these communities is deepening. Experts suggest that we must rethink our approach to heat adaptation. Current discussions often focus on high-tech infrastructure like air conditioning, completely ignoring the "last person" in the chain—the laborer in the field, the worker in the sewer, the mother in the crowded alley.
"Nobody is looking properly at the last person who’s harvesting, or who’s working in the farm, or in the hot sun," notes Afrose Farid of the National Institute of Fashion Technology.
For the families of Shahbad Dairy, the struggle for a piece of cotton fabric is a struggle for the most basic of human rights: the right to bodily comfort, to health, and to dignity. Until society recognizes that the ability to stay cool is a fundamental component of climate justice, the most vulnerable among us will continue to pay the highest price for the rising heat.
As Ritika soothes her crying infant in the sweltering afternoon, the message is clear: for many, the changing climate isn't just about rising degrees—it is about the hardening of the walls that keep them from the most basic relief.
This article is based on reporting by Shalinee Kumari for Dialogue Earth, highlighting the intersection of caste, climate change, and economic exclusion in India.
Does this look at the intersection of climate and social justice change the way you think about the environmental crisis in your own community?
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
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