Extreme Heat Puts Pregnant Women and Newborns at Risk in Patna’s Informal Settlements

This article was originally published in 101 Reporter under Creative Common license. Read the original article.

Patna, Bihar: In May, afternoons in the informal settlement of Gardanibagh in South Patna seemed hotter than previous years. The heat became so intense that even breathing felt difficult, residents said.

"The hut turns into a furnace," said Kajal Devi (27), a mother of two and resident of Gardanibagh, where most houses are made from plastic and straw. "The tin roof gets so hot that one is afraid to even touch it."

Temperatures of 42 degrees Celsius inside the houses felt even higher. "The hut spits fire," Sarita Kumari (24) a mother of three told 101Reporters while she sat holding her three-month-old baby in her lap.

The rising heat is a climate emergency and is no longer just a matter of discomfort. It is increasingly becoming a serious and emerging threat to maternal and child health.

The deadly combination: heat, poverty, malnutrition

Over the past few years, the impact of heat on the health of pregnant women had become clearly evident, said Dr Ruma Goswami, a Patna-based gynecologist.

“During summer, we see more cases of high blood pressure, diarrhea, and anemia among pregnant women,” said Dr Sunita Kumari, a doctor at Daniyawan Primary Health Centre, about 54 kilometres east of Patna.

The India Meteorological Department declared several north Indian states, including Bihar, “high risk” to heatwaves in April and May. It also said the risk continued in districts like Patna, Gaya and parts of South Bihar.

Kumari and her children struggled to survive the summer. “We lie on the ground with the children and wait for evening to come,” she said. “We sprinkle water on the bedding and clothes to keep the children cool.”

Surviving in the heat

Rukmini Devi (75) is called “Mukhiya”,  the leader. She moved to Gardanibagh after her marriage, many decades ago. She said the settlement had existed since 1975 and that for many years there were around 300 homes. Unplanned demolitions had brought that number down to about 250 houses.

Rabina Devi said she had seen repeated demolitions of houses in the neighbourhood. "And people ask us how we protect ourselves from the heat… it feels like a joke."

Shakina Kumari (20), originally from Bihar Sharif, had settled in Gardanibagh after her marriage and lived with her nine-member family in a small hut made of tin and thatch. "For the rich, summer and winter may be distinct seasons, but for us, every season brings only hardship," she said.

Her elder son was three years old, the younger child was just six months old. Managing both children through the summer months was her biggest concern. "We lay the children down on the ground after sprinkling water on it so they can get some relief from the heat. There is also the fear that an insect or a bug might bite them."

See also: Laborers feel the Heat of the Enforcement Gap in Mumbai’s Heatwave Response

Shakina's child fell ill repeatedly during summers. "Doctors advise giving clean water and keeping the child in a cool place, but we have neither a cool place nor the money to make such arrangements," she said.

An open drain carrying the city's wastewater flowed right next to Kajal Devi's hut, and a foul odour pervaded the entire area. Kajal worked in households, doing domestic chores and cleaning, while her husband was a daily-wage labourer. Both left for work in the morning; their six-year-old eldest daughter looked after her younger brothers.

"At an age when children should be in school, my daughter looks after her younger brother. But what can we do? If we don't go to work, we won't get food," she said.

"Everyone says the government provides everything, from food to medicines. But apart from two tablets, we get nothing. There is no food in our stomachs, yet they expect us to give birth to healthy children," said Rabina Devi, 26.

Anemia and the limits of frontline care

In states like Bihar, where poverty, malnutrition, and limited healthcare facilities already existed, the danger of heatwaves multiplied several times over. There had been repeated demands to recruit doctors in state-run hospitals, where there was a severe shortage.

Anita Devi, an ASHA worker at Kaushal Nagar Primary Health Centre, said they did their jobs by going door-to-door telling women how to care for themselves and their babies during pregnancy. "But most women suffer from severe anemia because they do not get proper nutrition," she added.

According to NFHS-5, more than 63% of women in Bihar were anemic.

"Many women have hemoglobin levels as low as 7–8 grams. This puts their lives at risk," said Anita Devi. "By the time we bring them to the hospital, their condition is already very serious."

Dr. Sunita Kumari said the centre kept ORS and basic medicines, but when situations became serious, patients had to be referred to Patna because diagnostic facilities were not available at the PHC level. "Many women come only in the final month of pregnancy, which makes handling the situation difficult," she added.

Lakshmi Devi, a resident of Khushiyalpur village in Daniyawan block, became a mother at 20. Her doctor had advised monthly check-ups and attention to diet. "But how can someone who lives hand-to-mouth — earning and eating on a daily basis — manage to visit the hospital every month?" Lakshmi asked.

She continued working in the farm through the final months of her pregnancy. Her baby was born in the eighth month. Working in the fields through scorching heat, she said, had been a necessity. "Be it heat or rain, if we don't work, how will the household run?"

During her pregnancy she suffered from a severe deficiency of both blood and fluids. After the birth, the infant developed jaundice. Due to the heat, she couldn't nurse the child properly. The child kept falling ill, eventually requiring a trip to PMCH. "The journey to Patna was incredibly difficult," Lakshmi said. "The commute in this heat takes a severe toll on one's health. At times, it feels as though being poor is a greater punishment than the illness itself."

What new research shows

According to a 2026 study published in the journals Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and Demography, an analysis of more than five million births in India and sub-Saharan Africa found that exposure to higher temperatures during pregnancy was linked to a decline in male births.

See also: How Climate Change Has Hit Chambal's Beekeepers And Food Systems

Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Superintendent of Patna Medical College and Hospital, said that while there was no scientifically proven explanation for why heat caused more girls to be born, some research had found that male fetuses were more sensitive to heat and stress. "This may explain the slight decrease in the birth of male children during extreme heat," he said.

He added that extreme heat during pregnancy increased risks such as dehydration, high blood pressure, and premature delivery, which directly affected newborns, increasing the chances of low birth weight, infections, and other health complications.

Until basic facilities, nutrition, and accessible healthcare services reached poor and marginalised communities, this problem would continue to deepen.

For Kajal, however, the rains were more dreaded than the heat. The drain overflowed, and filthy water seeped into the hut. Mud and a foul stench spread all around, and the children fell ill repeatedly.

Pausing for a moment, she said: "People come during every election and make promises, but once the election is over, no one ever returns. For us, the heat, the rain, and the sickness all come together."

[KS]

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