SUBOPTIMAL ON THE SUBCONTINENT

WHAT'S MORE DANGEROUS THAN INDIA'S FREQUENT HEAT WAVES? HEAT STRESS

- STORY: ANUPREETA DAS / NYT

A vegetable vendor in Ahmedabad, India on Oct 17. Nilam Kumari harvests rice early in the morning to take advantage of cooler temperatures in Sirkharia, on Oct 16.

very summer morning, Kantaben Kishen Parmar, a 45-year-old vegetable seller in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, settles onto a patch of ground the size of a large rug, sandwiched between the warming asphalt and a simmering sky, to sell peppers and tomatoes. She doesn't get back home until 10pm.

Over the decades, summers have gotten longer and hotter — average temperatures can hover around 40C, between March and June — but Parmar's hours have remained the same. The toll on her health is growing.

Three years ago, she collapsed during an especially scorching April day and was rushed to a hospital, where she was treated for severe dehydration. Parmar, who is diabetic, has suffered from urinary tract infections, dizzy spells and heavy bleeding during her period, conditions that medical experts often attribute to heat stress.

“It's hot from above, it's hot from the pavement,” said Parmar as she deftly tossed green peppers onto a weighing scale with her right hand, which bears the tattoo of a heart pierced by an arrow encasing the letters KK. The other K stands for Kishen, her husband and partner in the business.

“Where are we poor folks going to go?” Parmar said. “We have no option but to sit here.”

More than 1 billion Indians face heat waves every year. Hundreds of millions of them work in the informal sector, toiling outdoors or doing piecework in stifling factories, and are especially at risk as intense bouts of scorching weather become more frequent and higher temperatures stick around longer.