The effects of indoor heat, particularly on women are compounded by other factors such as clothing and lack of access to sanitation facilities, says Gulrez Shah Azhar, a 2017 New Voices Fellow in a recent piece for NewsBeezer.
According to the World Health Organization, in addition to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, heat waves can also cause cramps, headaches, lethargy and weakness, severe dehydration and blood clots. As the climate crisis leads to rising temperatures, fears are growing that regions such as South Asia with high heat and humidity could become uninhabitable.
As per Azhar, who helped draft India’s first heat action plan, the best thing to do during a heat wave is drink water, however, for women who do not have access to to it – “that’s deadly in the summer”, he further says.
To learn more about the impact of rising heat temperatures in South Asia click below.