Anthony Ammal, a 43-year-old fisher from the coastal hamlet of Pulicat in Chennai, begins her day long before the sun scorches the concrete beneath her feet. Her mornings are occupied with preparing her two daughters for school and ensuring they are fed before she steps out. She then makes her way to the Pazhaverkadu fish market, where she labours for approximately 15 hours each day.
As she settles into her allocated spot to clean the day’s fresh catch, the sun begins to blaze overhead, and the humid breeze offers little relief. Her sunburnt skin stings each time the salty sweat runs down her arms and face. The heat clings to the air like a heavy blanket, slowly draining her energy. Anthony Ammal removes the fine veins from the prawns with painstaking precision, even as every passing hour brings fresh pain to her aching legs, bent in a squat on the burning concrete.
“The sunburn on my skin is the least of my concerns, as I have larger issues of making ends meet,” says Anthony Ammal.
On the day I met Anthony Ammal at the Pazhaverkadu Market, the temperature had reached 37°C, but with the high humidity, it felt closer to 40°C.
A study conducted by the Urban Lab at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which analysed summer temperatures in India’s megacities since 2011, revealed that Chennai is the hottest among them, with an average summer heat index of 37.4°C, primarily due to elevated humidity levels. At this temperature, the wet bulb temperature can reach 32.49°C. When wet bulb temperatures surpass 30°C, they pose a potentially fatal threat to anyone working outdoors.
Despite the harsh conditions, the fisheries sector, often called the ‘Sunrise Sector’, earned ₹60,523.89 crore in seafood exports in 2023–24. The Pazhaverkadu market alone makes up to ₹1 crore on most days. Still, many like Anthony Ammal, one of India’s 30 million who contribute significantly to the fishing economy, struggle to survive, earning a meagre ₹200 per day.
As heat waves tighten their grip on Chennai, the rising temperatures pose serious threats to the city’s coastal communities, affecting their health and livelihoods.
Read more: Explained: How heat waves and chronic heat stress affect lives
The role of women in the fishing economy
Pulicat’s fishing hamlets engage in both marine and inland fishing, each with unique territorial rights and traditional methods. For instance, in the lake’s southern stretches, tribal women still harvest prawns by hand in shallow waters, marred by decades of industrial pollution in North Chennai.
Though overshadowed by the common image of ‘fishermen’ at sea, women play a vital, often overlooked role, managing the entire value chain, from the shore to the ‘meen kuzhambu‘ that boils in our kitchens.
As the boats reach the shore around 10 am, Anandhi, a 52-year-old woman, rushes forward with her basket. She then bargains with the fishermen on the boat and fills her basket with the stock. The basket may bring her ₹300 the following day as she sells door to door, but this small sum comes at great personal cost.
Starting as early as 6 am, she rolls up a towel on her head to cushion the weight of her basket. Shouting across the streets, describing the varieties of fish she has, she walks under the scorching sun until she sells the whole stock. On most days, it takes till 1 pm for her to return home. Seven long hours of walking under the unforgiving sun with no toilet or water break leave her exhausted with severe leg pain and headaches. “I cannot use the toilet until I get home. So I try not to drink much water,” she says.
Another group of women, like Anthony Ammal, sit with their aruvamanai, a traditional iron blade, at market exits, offering fish cleaning services. They occupy broken concrete pavements, paying a daily rent of ₹20 for the space that does not even have a roof. As customers hand over their seafood, these women clean it for ₹20 to ₹30 per kilogram, depending on the variety.
Drying unsold fish is yet another source of livelihood for those women who cannot afford to make a living out of the fresh catch. Sunlight becomes vital for this work. “Without sufficient sunlight, we cannot dry the fish. We coat them in salt and lay them out to dry, turning them every hour,” says Selvi, a 54-year-old woman who has been drying fish for over three decades.
This means that women like Selvi should stay out in the sun throughout the day to turn the fish every hour. “If we purchase fish for ₹300, we might sell them for ₹400, or suffer a loss and settle for ₹200. If we do not have sufficient sunlight on the day we buy the unsold fish, the stock goes to waste,” she adds.
This constant exposure to the sun, particularly during its peak, endangers the health of these workers. Yet, many continue without alternative employment or social protection.
Heat impact on the health of fishers
“The glare from the sunlight that reflects on the salty water in the sea is very harsh on the eyes. Many men have eyes as red as ivy gourds,” remarks Rajesh, a fisherman from Light House hamlet.
The heat and the sun’s glare can have a devastating impact on health. Dry skin and eye irritation are common complaints among both men and women from coastal communities.
Dr M Keerthy Varman, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Resident Doctors Association, warns that while refractive errors are manageable, damage to the optic nerves, exacerbated by conditions such as hypertension or diabetes, could result in irreversible vision loss if left untreated.
Women suffer additional burdens. Market spaces lack clean water and functioning toilet facilities. “We carry two litres of water, but it heats up quickly. So we end up drinking cold drinks from vendors,” says Selvi. There is only one toilet available, and it costs ₹5 per use. “If I use the toilet six times in 15 hours, I need to clean at least 1.5 kgs of fish just to afford it,” adds Anthony Ammal.
Many women instead opt for open defecation, carrying water to secluded areas. “We know it is unhygienic, but we have no choice,” she admits. This practice leads to dehydration, chronic constipation, and blood in the stools.
Dr Keerthy warns that this could lead to kidney problems and increase the risk of gastrointestinal cancers. “Gastric cancer is relatively high in Chennai and parts of southern India. Studies suggest that a low-fibre diet may be a contributing factor, similar to patterns observed in Japan,” he says.
Most fish cleaners are over the age of 50 and are going through menopause. Heat amplifies symptoms like palpitations and excessive sweating. “I feel feverish and dizzy all the time,” Selvi shares. Dr Keerthy notes that falling oestrogen levels make these women more prone to cardiovascular issues and bone loss.
Despite the severity of these conditions, most women rely on over-the-counter medication, avoiding hospitals due to fear of medical expenses. Dr Keerthy insists that this should be recognised as a socio-economic crisis.
He recommends the following measures:
- Annual free eye check-ups for fishers
- Free comprehensive health screenings
- Post-menopausal health support
- Free and hygienic sanitation facilities in markets.
Improving their quality of life, he says, will also boost the economy.
Read more: Climate laws must enforce heat mitigation measures: Professor Vidhya Venugopal
Understanding the climate impact on the fishing economy
The fishing economy is closely tied to environmental conditions. “Rising sea surface temperatures have disrupted marine ecosystems, leading to a decline in fish populations. Extreme weather events, especially cyclones, have become frequent,” says Vivek Venkataramani, a climate resilience and public finance expert.
Fisherfolk rely heavily on traditional knowledge for navigation and catch prediction. However, shifting climate patterns and pollution have rendered these methods less effective. Durai Mahendran, another fisher, notes that the fish varieties once caught within two nautical miles now require deeper sea expeditions, increasing costs and reducing catch volumes.
Within the fishing industry, two classes of workers exist: boat owners and labourers. The former claims two-thirds of the income, while the latter receives an annual wage of ₹60,000 to ₹1 lakh.
Compounding these issues, the annual 60-day fishing ban from April 1st to June 15th disrupts livelihoods. While registered male fishers receive ₹8,000 in compensation, this amount barely supports a family. Women, who also lose work during the ban, receive nothing. Moreover, unscheduled bans, often linked to activities at the nearby ISRO launch station, offer no relief.
Vivek recommends insurance schemes with affordable premiums for the fisherfolk. These would not only provide financial cushioning during crises but also encourage resilience.
Social activist Nityanand Jayaraman argues that the roots of these problems lie deeper than climate change. “The core issue is systemic inequality. Climate change magnifies it. Unless we restructure the economic system that fosters inequality, vulnerable communities will remain exposed,” he asserts.
Recommendations
- Establish health centres in every fishing hamlet.
- Provide cold storage facilities in fish markets.
- Extend compensation during ban periods to women, particularly single women.
- Compensate fishers for income lost due to extreme heat days and events such as rocket launches.
- Ensure cooperative society membership entitles women to compensation during monsoons and off-season.
- Promote awareness about diet, hydration, and health screenings.
These steps are not just a moral obligation, but a necessary investment in a sector that sustains millions and makes a significant contribution to India’s economy. Part two of this series will examine the gaps in mitigation strategies and government interventions aimed at supporting and uplifting the fishing communities of coastal Tamil Nadu.