As peak summer sets in, gig workers across platforms in Delhi said they are caught in a cycle of falling sick or facing reduced earnings when they pause work during intense heatwave days.

Even as the Centre issued a heatwave advisory this week for organisations and States to adopt mitigation measures for workers and labourers, gig workers point to persistent challenges. A 20-year-old delivery executive, who took up the gig a month ago after losing a clerical position in a private office, said, “On a normal day, earnings go up to ₹1,000-1,200. But on extremely hot days, when we have to reduce the number of orders and keep pausing to cool down under shade, earnings drop to ₹200-300.”