![\"Heat](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-47529300,imgsize-110164,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/47529300.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNew Delhi: <\/span>Women platform workers in Delhi-NCR are facing health, financial and workplace challenges due to extreme heat, with many forced to choose between protecting their health and safeguarding their livelihoods, according to a new report by HeatWatch, a women-led climate adaptation organisation.The report titled \u2018On call in a burning city: Women platform workers and heat in Delhi-NCR\u2019 is based on a baseline survey of 26 women conducted before peak summer, a focus group discussion with beauty-platform workers, and a survey from March to June of 100 women platform workers engaged in beauty services, domestic work, e-commerce and food delivery and ride-hailing services.According to the findings, 71% of the respondents worked all seven days a week, while 65% had only one break or no break during a working day. Seventy-seven percent reported being tired or weak, 74% had headaches, 63% felt dizzy, 57% reported feeling extremely thirsty or dehydrated, 47% had nausea or vomiting, and 36% felt faint or fainted.Seventy-three percent reported experiencing these conditions at least once or twice a week, including 40% who reported experiencing them every day. Only 18% of them consulted a doctor, clinic or hospital, while 33% went for self-medication and 43% took no action at all. Overall, 82% received no formal medical care, revealed the report.Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed reduced their workload or stopped working altogether because of illness, while 71% reported a decline in income during summer. At the same time, these workers had to spend more on cooling, medicines, protective clothing, transport, food and hydration during the season.\u201cLimited toilet access, unsafe waiting spaces, questionable customer behaviour, unpaid care responsibilities and unsuitable mandatory uniforms add to physical and psychological burden of these women,\u201d stated the report, adding that 74% of the respondents said they received no heatwave support from the platforms they worked for, while only about 9% reported receiving support they considered useful.Emphasising that responsibility must shift from workers to institutions, the report recommended that platforms and govts must provide heat-sensitive work allocation, paid and penalty-free breaks, protection from adverse ratings, hydration and medical support, gender-sensitive rest hubs, algorithmic transparency and enforceable occupational-health protections to these workers.<\/div>\n