As the mercury hits an unforgiving 45 degrees, there is a sense of urgency — even happiness — in the collection of orders at Kishangarh, around 3 km from the upmarket Vasant Kunj in Delhi. Outside the compound that hosts inventory stores operated by quick commerce companies like Zomato-owned Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto, delivery workers wait for their turn to collect orders. There are single beaten-up water coolers at each of these stores, where they refill their bottles and wet their scarves before they wrap them around their faces as they head out to deliver orders. This, they say, is the most comfortable part of their work day. The life of these platform-based gig workers is a living example of how the climate crisis has a disproportionate impact on those from lower income groups and how the country’s poorest are the worst hit as temperatures rise, with their jobs, wages and health harmed. While reports suggest that workers in more traditional industries, such as those employed at brick kilns, are at an even greater risk, delivery workers too are among the most vulnerable sections. Heat, sickness and no leaves Everyday, around 400 delivery workers visit this compound, where the waiting area has nothing to offer in the name of shade. In a rush to make a liveable wage, they spend hours under the blazing sun — both while waiting for orders and then delivering them — with very little institutional support from their companies. Workers say they often wait for 10-15 minutes in the open between orders, something they did even when the heatwave was at its peak. The Indian Express spoke to nearly 60 gig workers about how they have been at work in what has been one of the most brutal summers in Delhi in decades. Close to 20 of them or over 30 per cent said they took a break from work after they fell sick due to the heat. Though the rest faced similar problems, they could not afford to take a leave. “In the past two months, not a day has gone by when I have not had a debilitating headache at work. I think it is because of the sun. But I can’t take a break,” says Martin, who delivers for Swiggy Instamart. Lack of empathy from their supervisors only makes matters worse. “I fell sick due to the severe heat and could not work for eight days. My team leader did not check on me once, not even to ask why I was absent, let alone to enquire if I was doing well,” said Rahul Singh, a delivery worker with Zomato. Rahul’s situation also points towards another irony: he is among the thousands of delivery workers at Zomato who deliver orders on bicycles. Zomato proudly mentions in its environment, sustainability and governance (ESG) report that around a quarter of its total 647 million deliveries last year were done by workers on bicycles. Sustainable goals — on a bicycle With companies setting lofty standards to meet sustainability goals, gig workers are at twice the risk — they can only make a livable income if they brave the climate crisis, which puts them in harm’s way, leaving them vulnerable to the long-term impact of exposure to the sun. For Zomato, almost all of its carbon footprint comes from its last-mile delivery service, with the company positioning deliveries made by workers on electric bikes and bicycles as part of its “climate conscious deliveries”. Zomato says 20 per cent of its total orders in 2022-2023 were delivered by workers on bicycles. The company says it will achieve net zero emissions across its food ordering and delivery value chain by 2030. The irony of this statement is not lost on Rahul. “So, as I burn myself in the heat by delivering orders on my bicycle, I’m actually helping Zomato achieve its climate goals?” he says. A spokesperson for Zomato and Blinkit said the food delivery company had doubled its rest points to 450 across India, which include “comfortable seating” apart from “free drinking water”, washroom facilities and mobile charging points. The company plans to add at least 5,000 such points by the end of June. Zomato has also procured refreshments, juices and glucose to distribute among its delivery workers, and has introduced a new full-sleeve shirt for them. However, the company did not respond to a follow-up question on whether workers have to pay to get the shirt, as they have to for acquiring the rest of their kit while signing up for Zomato. Blinkit is “installing air coolers in the waiting areas of all stores to provide immediate relief from the heat”. Although, it is worth noting that the store in Kishangarh that The Indian Express visited had no such facility. Swiggy did not respond to a request for comment. Apart from little institutional support from their companies, food delivery workers say their other key touch point — the restaurants — can be quite discriminatory towards them. “Many restaurants have different entries and exits for delivery workers and customers. In many cases, we cannot even use their washrooms,” says Sumit Kumar, who delivers for Swiggy. “They want to make us invisible because restaurants fear that our presence in front of their customers might ruin the aesthetics,” he added.
