How Do Heatwaves Impact Street Vendors in Guwahati ? Rising Temperatures, Livelihood Struggles, and Survival

Heatwaves in Guwahati: Health Risks for Street Vendors

By Kangkana Rajbongshi, Hiyashree Keot, Akhi Saikia

With every passing year, Guwahati experiences intense heatwaves that affect the entire city’s population. By mid-morning, the streets of Guwahati become intensely heated under the sun. For most, the solution is simple- stay indoors, switch on the fan, or let the air conditioner do its work.

But for thousands of street vendors spread all over the city, there is no escape from the rising heat. Their workplace is the open street, their shade often just a thin umbrella or nothing at all. Street vendors are an important part of Guwahati’s economy, selling vegetables, flowers, snacks, and daily essentials. But during a heatwave, their work and income suffer.

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Vendors spend long hours under the hot sun, often feeling tired, dehydrated, and sometimes even fainting. Many said fevers and blood pressure problems are very common, especially for women who also have to manage household work after selling. The humid weather makes things worse, as sweating does not cool the body, leaving many completely drained by noon. Most agree that the toughest hours are between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.

“Yes, this year is hotter compared to last year,” says Susmita Begum, who sells goods in Machkhowa. “At that time, sales are less because people don’t go out of their houses.” To cope, some vendors pause work or close early, but this means less money at the end of the day.

Heatwaves hurt vendors not just physically but also financially. Fewer people come out to buy during the day, and those who sell fresh goods suffer even more.

In Panbazar, flower vendor Biswajit Kalita said, ‘Since we sell flowers, the heat makes the flowers dry up quickly, which reduces our sales.’

His words show the double loss of customers and damaged goods. Even missing one day of work because of sickness or extreme heat can disturb a family’s budget. Daily earnings are needed for rent, food, and school fees. For women vendors, the struggle is harder as they must also manage household work and deal with unhygienic public toilets that are especially difficult to use in the summer heat. However, not all vendors agree that things have gotten worse. Some felt little difference, suggesting that hardship has long been part of their work. But

whether the heat is ‘worse’ or ‘the same,’ the risks are still high, and coping is never easy”.

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The stories told by Guwahati’s street vendors make one thing obvious: heatwaves are not only a matter of increasing temperature, they are about increasing adversity for those whose livelihood depends on working outdoors. Physically, vendors struggle with fatigue, dehydration, and sickness. Economically, they struggle with dwindling sales and the waste of perishable items, making daily incomes uncertain.

Socioeconomically, women bear an even greater burden, juggling vending and household duties while contending with substandard public facilities. Still, despite such challenges, street vendors endure with impressive tenacity, adjusting their working hours, persevering through discomfort, and keeping the city’s streets alive and thriving.

However, tenacity should not be mistaken for invulnerability. Without adequate support, such as shaded vending stalls, potable water, and cleaner sanitary facilities, these workers are still at risk for conditions that no amount of individual resilience can eliminate.

As Guwahati gets hotter by the year, its street vendors’ voices are both a reminder and a warning: that there is a livelihood behind each small stall to be safeguarded, and behind each face that sits beneath the burning sun is a survival story worth hearing and being acted upon.

 Submitted by the Journalism & Communication Students of Gauhati University , 2025 after completion of a short Internship( Students are Kangkana Rajbongshi, Akhi Saikia, Hiyashree Keot; Supervisor – Kakali Das, Assistant Editor, Mahabahu)

Mahabahu.com is an Online Magazine with collection of premium Assamese and English articles and posts with cultural base and modern thinking.  You can send your articles to editor@mahabahu.com / editor@mahabahoo.com (For Assamese article, Unicode font is necessary) Images from different sources.