Wheels on fire: Delhi’s rickshaw pullers in the age of deadly heatwaves

March 15, 2025 by News Desk

Photos/ Maliha Khan

Maliha Khan

On a breezy February afternoon, as winter loosened its grip on the city, I found myself in conversation with Raju Mandal, a rickshaw puller from West Bengal. Raju was driving me to my apartment when we started talking about the approaching hot summer.

“The summers are very difficult for those of us working outside. But what choice do we have? I have my wife and children to feed!” Raju said. A few days earlier, I had spoken to Manoj, a rickshaw puller in his late twenties, who shared similar sentiments about the sweltering summer.

Explaining how his income is negatively impacted by the heat, he said, “Summers are very challenging, not just because of the unbearable heat, but also because we get very few customers. People prefer staying indoors or traveling in AC cars and cabs.”

These comments were not just about the severity of the weather; they reflected the harsh realities of class disparity. While we all shared the fear of the looming summer heat, I had the privilege of escaping it with air conditioning—comforts that Manoj and Raju could not access in their homes or workplaces. Their fears were rooted in a reality much tougher than anything I could imagine for myself.

Cycle rickshaws emerged in India in the 1940s as a more efficient alternative to hand-pulled rickshaws, elevating pullers to “drivers.” Despite technological advancements, cycle rickshaws remain prevalent due to their affordability, maneuverability in narrow lanes, and zero pollution. In Delhi alone, estimates suggest 5–10 lakh rickshaws operate, supporting nearly 5 million livelihoods, including drivers, mechanics, and contractors.

Most rickshaw pullers are rural migrants, often from farming or artisanal backgrounds, drawn to the profession for its low skill requirement, minimal investment, and immediate income. Rickshaws can be rented for Rs. 25 per day, while buying a new one costs Rs. 6,500–8,000. However, high rental rates—Rs. 900–1,500 monthly—are driven by strict corporation laws, making ownership risky due to potential confiscations and financial losses for contractors.

Delhi’s population growth is significantly influenced by migration. In 2021, migration contributed approximately 283,000 people to the city’s population, surpassing the natural increase (births minus deaths). Between 2003 and 2020, annual migration to Delhi fluctuated, with estimates ranging from 159,000 to 220,000 individuals per year.

Delhi, infamous for its scorching summers, continues to struggle with increasingly extreme heat waves. In 2024, the city recorded a staggering high of nearly 52.3°C. These harsh conditions claimed hundreds of lives, with The Times of India reporting that, by the end of June 2024, 238 people had died in Delhi alone.

This intense and escalating heat can be attributed to the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI). This phenomenon occurs when densely populated cities experience higher temperatures than surrounding semi-urban or rural areas (Economic Times). Compared to natural landscapes, buildings, asphalt roads, and concrete pavements retain heat more effectively, absorbing it from the sun (Times of India).

According to a brief by the Social and Policy Research Foundation, human activities, extensive vehicle use, and population density exacerbate the UHI effect, driving up maximum temperatures. The report also notes that worsening air pollution contributes to heat-trapping, further fueling extreme temperatures and heat waves. Furthermore, the forest department of Delhi reported that the city’s green cover is only 23%, when it should be at least 33%. In recent years, scorching summers have repeatedly broken temperature records, with each year proving hotter than the last.

Mohammad Ali, a rickshaw driver from Bihar who has been working in Delhi for the past 20 years, said the heat has always been a challenge. However, in recent years, it has become nearly unbearable, making it difficult for him to work—especially with no support system in place. “Sometimes people offer us cold water, or we find shade under a tree, but beyond that, there is no help—not even from the government,” he said.

Struggling Against the Heat

While many seek refuge from the heat in air-conditioned spaces, Firoz and countless other rickshaw pullers endure it with just a fan at home and the fleeting shade of a tree while they work.

Mohammad Firoz, a rickshaw puller who migrated from Bihar, stressed the difficulties he faces in summer, saying, “We usually carry cold water bottles with us, but even that doesn’t last long in such scorching heat.”

Most rickshaw pullers resort to methods like tying a wet cloth around their heads, drinking excessive amounts of water, or adjusting their work hours to deal with the heat. But no matter what precautions they take, there is little escape from the relentless sun.

A significant number of these rickshaw pullers are migrant workers from states like Bihar and West Bengal. Manoj, like many others, moved to Delhi in search of better opportunities and had to send a portion of his earnings back home.

However, the relentless heat waves further shrink their already meager income, leaving them with barely enough to survive. They often end up living in overcrowded neighborhoods with no access to air conditioning, making the boiling summers even more unbearable. The Delhi Statistical Handbook 2024 reported that 32.2% of people in Delhi live in single-room dwellings.

Given the worsening conditions, authorities issue advisories during the summer, urging people to stay indoors from at least noon to 3 pm. However, for outdoor workers such as rickshaw drivers, this advice is a luxury they cannot afford. Vasudev, a rickshaw puller from West Bengal, remarked, “If we were to stay inside, what would we earn? What would we eat?”

These fears remain unaddressed by the government or India’s climate policies. While the issue of climate change is often framed as an environmental concern, its impacts are far-reaching – deepening the divide between the rich and the poor, pushing the already vulnerable further into precarity and economic instability.

The government has issued guidelines for outdoor workers but often lacks measures targeting the unique challenges faced by laborers, rickshaw pullers, and even homeless people.

Beyond the financial strain and daily hardships, the relentless heat has severely affected people’s health, with rickshaw drivers bearing the worst of it. In 2024, The Guardian reported that a single hospital in Delhi admitted 50 heatstroke patients in just one week.

Mohammad Ali described the toll the heat takes on his body, saying he often suffers from fever and body aches after long hours of pedaling in extreme temperatures.

Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, he said, “When I get sick, I prefer not to go to government hospitals. The waiting time for check-ups is too long, and I would lose hours of earnings. It’s better to go to small private hospitals.” Many residents face similar struggles.

As Delhi inches toward summer, Ali and countless others like him can only hope for the weather to be more forgiving. However, with the accelerating climate crisis, the heat only seems to intensify, widening existing inequalities.