By Binapani Mishra and Srikrushna Mohapatra, SWAD, India

Aparajeta Pani, 38, lives in Kanjiabazar and works as a patachitra artisan. She employs four other women and supports her family with her income. Her workplace is a small tin-roofed shed, which became extremely hot this year as temperatures rose sharply. To keep the shed cooler, Aparajeta applied white cement to the roof and laid chancha (a mat made of coconut leaves) over it. She also uses stand fans and keeps drinking water in an earthen pot inside the shed.

Through this process, she learned how extreme heat affects human health. She can now identify the peak heat hours of the day and understands how heat can worsen conditions such as high blood pressure (BP), stress, weakness and anaemia. She also learned that anaemia and high BP can seriously affect health, and that excessive sweating or very little sweating can signal an underlying health problem. She recognised the importance of knowing what to do and what not to do during extreme heat.

Earlier, Aparajeta relied only on her own experience and bodily sensations to understand her health, and she had never sought medical advice. The four women who work with her followed the same practice. Having learned how closely health and heat are linked, she tested her haemoglobin and BP, recognising that her health is central to protecting her livelihood and increasing her income. Aparajeta now shares what she has learned with her co-workers and with other women in her neighbourhood, encouraging them to adopt measures that reduce the impact of extreme heat.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of AIDMI.