06/06/2026
Over the past month, Chennai has experienced average temperatures of around 38°C, peaking at 41°C in mid-May. When the city’s high humidity is taken into account, the heat index, or ‘feels-like’ temperature, reaches approximately 45°C, limiting the body’s ability to cool itself effectively.
Frequent and prolonged exposure to such conditions, especially for outdoor workers such as street vendors, can lead to serious health conditions such as heat exhaustion and even heat stroke, which can be fatal.
As part of our efforts to strengthen climate resilience among street vendors, we have developed a set of Heat Safety Awareness posters and a practical booklet that serve as a capacity-building and training resource for street vendors and other outdoor workers.
The materials are designed for use by government agencies, the Town Vending Committee, civil society organizations, community groups, and institutions conducting awareness and training programs for outdoor workers.
Last month, these materials were used during capacity-building sessions for street vendors in Kasturba Nagar and Besant Nagar under the Neighbourhood Small Business Climate Resilience Program, facilitated by and . The sessions helped vendors better understand possible heat risks and the practical measures they can utilise to protect their health and livelihoods during extreme heat.
After each interaction, vendors were given a thermostable steel flask as a nudge to encourage them to take simple steps, such as hydrating themselves, to safeguard against the heat.
Our gratitude to the for their unwavering support in this pilot endeavour!
