Extreme heat during the peak summer months of April and May is not only increasing the number of heat-related illnesses in Hyderabad but also severely affecting sleep, mental health, productivity and wages among vulnerable communities. These are the findings of a community-level survey conducted by Hyderabad-based healthcare non-profit organisation, Helping Hand Foundation.

The survey, carried out across major urban settlements in the city, covered more than 1,000 respondents, most of them migrant labourers and informal workers. The settlements surveyed included Kalapathar, Shaheen Nagar, Wadi-E-Mahmood, Indra Nagar, Hasan Nagar, Hakimpet, Jalpally Wadi-E-Mustafa, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Pahadi Shareef, Farooq Nagar Vatapally, Rambagh Colony, Khayyam Nagar, New Baba Nagar, Jalpally, Errakunta, MM Pahadi, Kishanbagh and Chintalmet.

The findings revealed that prolonged heat exposure is disrupting sleep patterns in low-income communities. More than 80% of respondents reported experiencing some form of sleep disturbance during warm nights. While 55.78% said their sleep was slightly disturbed, 27.14% reported frequent sleep disturbances and 8.04% said they were unable to sleep during periods of extreme heat. Only 9.05% of respondents said their sleep remained normal during summer months.

The study also highlighted the psychological impact of rising temperatures. According to the findings, 69.85% of respondents said heat sometimes affected their mood and behaviour while 25.63% said it often affected them emotionally. Only 4.52% reported no noticeable emotional impact from heat exposure. Researchers said the findings indicate that extreme heat is increasingly becoming a social and mental health concern in densely populated urban settlements.

Mujtaba Hasan Askari of Helping Hand Foundation said informal workers, who make up nearly 90% of the workforce, continue to face the highest exposure to heat while also bearing the largest economic burden.