By Pallavi Rathod, AIDMI, India

Extreme heat is becoming part of daily life in many parts of India. For people who earn their living outdoors, the impact is direct. Small businesses, fruit and vegetable sellers, painters, and other self-employed workers often spend long hours in the sun. This can lead to exhaustion and illness, reduce the number of hours they are able to work, and make it harder to earn a steady income.

Financial support, shaded workspaces, drinking water, and heat-resilient infrastructure are all important. But communities also need strong relationships and practical ways to support one another during periods of extreme heat.

With this in mind, the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute organised the Citizen Power for Heat-Resilient Small Businesses: Power and Character Workshop in Vasna, Ahmedabad. The workshop brought together 20 small business owners from communities exposed to high heat risk. They had previously taken part in AIDMI’s heat-risk assessment and support programme for small businesses.

The workshop looked beyond general heat awareness. It encouraged participants to think about the role they could play in keeping themselves, their businesses, and their neighbourhoods safer. Sessions focused on personal responsibility, community leadership, cooperation and practical action.

Participants identified local resources, mapped people and organisations that could provide support, and worked on their observation and listening skills. They also developed simple action plans for responding to heat at the neighbourhood level.

These activities helped participants understand that heat resilience is more than just infrastructure. It also has to do with trust, with communication, with people being willing to help each other.

One of the most useful discussions focused on what neighbours and workers can do during very hot days. Participants shared simple actions that could make a real difference. These included offering drinking water, checking on older people and others who may be at greater risk, helping fellow vendors find shade, sharing heat warnings, and supporting anyone who shows signs of heat-related illness.

One point was made clear and loud in the discussion. Heat safety isn’t just an individual thing. People are safer when neighbours, workers, community groups, and local leaders stay connected and look out for one another.

At the end of the workshop, participants made both individual and group commitments to improve heat safety in their businesses and communities. Many said they felt more confident about taking responsibility, supporting others, and working with their neighbours to address local problems.

As one participant said: “I realised that even an ordinary citizen has the power to bring change in the community.”

Extreme heat is not only an environmental issue. It is also a health, social, and livelihood concern. Responding to it requires informed citizens, stronger local relationships, and practical cooperation.

The workshop showed that small actions, when taken together, can help protect people and livelihoods. Physical adaptation is still important, but communities are also safer when people are confident, know what to do, and are supported to work together.