Nine-year-old Priti Borde, is struggling to stay indoors. The air inside her home is hot and stuffy, offering little relief compared to the lane outside. With her school closed for the summer holidays, she finds herself confined to a narrow alley barely three feet wide, idly passing time with her neighbourhood friends. Her mother has set firm boundaries—no straying into the adjacent lane and no trips to Pushpa Park, the only playground nearby. Although just half a kilometre away, the park lies beyond a busy road, making it difficult to reach. Juhu Beach, nearly a kilometre away, remains inaccessible, leaving her and her friends with few options for play.

As the sweltering summer heat descended early in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued warnings to take precautions and stay indoors. According to the India Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature on May 11th was 34.6 degrees Celsius, which is 1°C above normal. Relative humidity was 74%. Children especially find it challenging to stay entertained during this time. It’s worse for those from marginalised communities, who struggle to cope with the heat and lack access to cooler areas. 

Cramped spaces, suffocating heat

In Vile Parle’s Nehru Nagar, a sprawling 23-acre slum housing around 1.8 lakh people across 20,000 families (as per the 2011 census), heat stress is exacerbated by cramped homes with poor ventilation, limited play areas, and inadequate cooling options. According to local social activist Muthu Kumar, many children live in houses with tin or asbestos roofs that radiate heat, often relying on a single fan that provides little relief. “Some homes lack windows or even exhaust outlets,” he says. 

Priti says she bathes at least three times daily—morning, evening, and before sleeping—to cope with the heat. According to her 13-year-old neighbour, Sushant Singh, the nights are just as hot and humid. Fortunately, Sushant’s father, who works at an ice factory, brings home ice packs, providing much-needed relief from the oppressive weather.

The children agree that, despite the heat, vacations are preferable to attending school, which closed in late April. “The school uniforms, with their ties and collared shirts, feel suffocating, and wearing socks only adds to the discomfort,” says Priti. “The PT uniforms — just a T-shirt and trousers—are much better. We can even wear them without socks, which helps a lot.”

Coping measures

At school, they often wipe their faces with damp handkerchiefs to stay cool. “At school, when the heat becomes unbearable, we ask our teachers for permission to visit the washroom, where we wash our faces and hands. We do this several times throughout the day,” says Priti. “If there’s a power cut, our neighbourhood tuition teacher simply lets us leave.”

Arya Rai, a fifth-grade student, shares that they enjoy playing with water so much that they celebrated their last day at school by splashing water on each other.

Most of these children have both parents working. While the fathers typically work as manual labourers in small industrial units, the mothers are employed as domestic help or cooks in the nearby Juhu locality.

Parents in the area also express concerns about managing their children at home, as keeping them engaged and supervised can be difficult.

Read more: Delhi’s homeless stare at cruel summer as temporary shelters set to be dismantled

Heat pushes up household costs for parents 

Sheetal Kompeli, a mother of a five-year-old daughter and a 17-month-old son, finds it difficult to manage her children, who tend to be irritable during the summer. To better accommodate their growing family’s needs, they have moved from their tin-sheet home to a rented house with a cemented roof and walls.

“We have recently bought an additional fan since it gets very hot even at night. We also bought a second-hand fridge on instalment from my employer. In the daytime, the children refuse to come home, preferring to stay in the airy outdoors. The heat makes them cranky, and they get blisters on the skin. They keep sipping cold water from the fridge,” adds Sheetal. 

Summer brings not just soaring temperatures but also rising expenses, as families navigate the cost of keeping cool amid the heat and humidity.

Mother of three and resident of Nehru Nagar, Salma Begum says that despite four fans and an exhaust fan, there is no respite from the hot and humid conditions for her family. Moreover, the summer heat has driven up her household expenses.

“Our electricity bill has increased from from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,500 per month, and we are spending an additional Rs 500 on ice creams and cold drinks to beat the heat,” she explains. She adds that her husband prefers the daughters and her to stay indoors unless he is present, so the family only steps out on Sundays when he takes them out. The financial strain has also forced them to cancel their vacation plans to visit their hometown.

How does it impact children’s health? 

Dr. Anto Shajan, a general health practitioner in Nehru Nagar, notes that many children get fever due to dehydration, heat boils, skin rashes, or fungal infections. He emphasises that poor nutrition exacerbates their health issues. Their diets often lack essential supplements like fruits and milk, consisting mainly of dal, rice, and a few vegetables.

Dr. Anto also observes acidity in young children due to unhealthy food consumption, such as Chinese bhel and instant noodles. While poverty is the primary factor, he believes a lack of awareness and discipline also play a role. Many families resort to alternative treatments before seeking medical help, and children stop the medication as soon as they start feeling better.

What is the BMC doing about it? 

The civic authorities are taking heat mitigation measures, but they seem too little, too late. 

Rajesh Tamhane, deputy municipal commissioner (environment) informs that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is in the process of formulating a heat resilience and risk reduction action plan as part of the heat action plan for Mumbai. “We have made ORS sachets available free of cost at our public health dispensaries. Air conditioning facilities are available at Aapla dawakhanas for those suffering from heat strokes. We have also put overhead covers at traffic signals to provide relief for vehicle users.” 

Three cases of heat stroke were reported last year, while no such cases have been reported as yet this summer. “We are mapping urban heat islands using satellite and ground surveys to create a heat grid. We have also recommended the revision of building regulations for future development plans,” he says. 

School directives

Rahul Rekhawar, director of the SCERT informs that a circular had been issued with detailed heat  regulations for schools. In March-end, schools had been directed to discontinue afternoon sessions and hold classes only in the mornings, to combat the severe heat wave across the State. Students were asked to hydrate themselves with fluids and fruits, a tall order for children from marginalised families. 

The directive also focuses on the need to educate students about heat wave safety precautions and advises schools to teach children heat protection, emphasising hydration, nutrition, and proper clothing. The government has also asked schools to ensure classrooms have working fans.  

However, a school principal informs, “Besides making water available and fans functional, there is little we can do during summers.” He adds that the last-minute exam schedule this year, asking schools to delay exams till April 25th, had upset vacation travel plans of families.   

Ajanta Yadav, a doctor and former corporator, who also runs a school, wonders why the BMC extended the academic term till the end of April this year, putting children at risk of heat stress. “Considering the heatwave, children should have been given holidays early instead of extending the academic year,” she adds.   

Read more: Scorching streets: Understanding urban heat islands in Bengaluru’s market areas

Solutions: What can be done? 

Muthu feels that the government should provide free ORS sachets to small children, as is done through balwadis or children’s care centres. Such facilities should also be available to older students, he adds. Through his Way of Hope Charitable Trust, Muthu hosts two-hour play sessions every Sunday at the open space around their neighbourhood temple, so children can get fresh air and unwind. 

Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA), an NGO that addresses the effects of climate change on children in marginalised Mumbai communities, emphasises the need to identify and green local spaces or implement nature-based solutions to reduce heat stress.

“Heat stress dehydrates children and drains their energy to play or focus, thus impairing their physical and mental development. The heat also tends to impact children’s behaviour. Availability of spaces can help them de-stress and keep their mental health balance in stressful times,” said Prakash Bhaware, project lead of YUVA. 

The NDMA advises parents to move a child showing signs of heat stress to a cool place and provide water or electrolyte-rich oral rehydration salts. If muscle spasms occur, seek medical attention.

How children can be safe in heat conditions: 

• Stay indoors during the hottest part of the day (12 noon to 3 pm).
• Keep their room cool using curtains or shutters; open windows at night for ventilation.
• Drink plenty of water and fluids to stay hydrated.
• Use fans, damp cloths, ice towels, or spray bottles to cool down.
• Immerse feet in cool water above the ankle to prevent dehydration.
• Avoid going outdoors barefoot, as the ground can be extremely hot.
• Avoid eating stale food or high-protein meals, and drinking fizzy or sugary drinks. 
• Parents must not leave children inside parked vehicles.  

Also read:

• Chennai braces for extreme heat, prepares measures to combat rising temperatures
• Inclusivity is pivotal to measures against heat, says urban planner Jaya Dhindaw