Pregnant Women in Delhi Slums Endure Severe Health Struggles Amid Early Heatwave
As temperatures in Delhi begin to breach 40 degrees Celsius, pregnant women living in the city's slums are experiencing alarming health symptoms, including dizziness, sleepless nights, and hypertension. The extreme heat, combined with cramped living conditions, is exacerbating the discomfort of pregnancy and raising serious concerns among medical experts.
Personal Accounts of Suffering and Anxiety
Rekha, a 38-week pregnant woman from Sanjay Camp in Dakshinpuri, described her nightly struggles with sleep due to the intense heat and humidity. "I often feel anxious and struggle to sleep. Heat and humidity make the discomfort worse, and often cause shortness of breath, but going to a doctor is not something we can easily do," she said. Living in a small, tin-roofed room that traps heat, Rekha finds little relief beyond sitting under a fan, as changing her living conditions is financially unfeasible.
Similarly, Shabnam, a 29-week pregnant resident of Dakshinpuri's Mini Subash camp, reported sleeping very little since her second trimester. "The heat and humidity started surging all of a sudden last week. I started experiencing frequent headaches, anxiety, and even shortness of breath," she added. Ayesha, another 28-year-old woman in her third trimester from the same camp, noted it is "impossible to sleep until 2 to 3 am until the heat settles," battling restlessness and anxiety.
Expert Warnings on Heat Stress and Pregnancy Risks
Harshal Ramesh Salve, a professor at AIIMS's Centre for Community Medicine, highlighted that symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, and loss of consciousness in pregnant women should not be ignored. He emphasized the unpredictability of modern climate patterns, with extreme temperatures arriving earlier in summer. "Pregnancy is already a vulnerable period, making extreme heat a serious risk -- for the mother as well as the newborn. But what is important to understand is that illness and deaths associated with heat exposure are entirely preventable," Salve stated.
Heat stress during the second trimester can affect fetal development and increase the risk of congenital abnormalities. In later stages, it raises the likelihood of premature delivery or stillbirth. Long-term effects on child development are also a concern, compounded by exposure to air pollution, which has a cumulative impact on pregnancy outcomes.
Disproportionate Impact on Vulnerable Women and Preventive Measures
Salve pointed out that pregnant women in slums or those working outdoors are particularly vulnerable, as they often continue labor through pregnancy. He called for increased awareness within communities, especially among young women approaching marriageable age, about heat's impact on pregnancy. "IMD's warnings, along with their health implications, need to reach communities -- particularly vulnerable sections such as slum-dwellers and those working outdoors during peak summer days," he said, advocating for hydration and low-cost cooling solutions like modified roof materials.
Environmentalist Bharati Chaturvedi added that data shows women are 14 times more likely to die from climate-related events, including extreme heat. "For a pregnant woman, the body is already under significant strain, and heat adds to it further by pushing up the heart rate. This can lead to pre-term births, stillbirths, and abnormal blood pressure," she explained, noting that air pollution worsens in heat, increasing ozone levels and further endangering women's health.
