Under the Blazing Sun: Caring for Street Lives – Animals & Workers Alike

Delhi’s scorching summer is more than uncomfortable — it is dangerous. With temperatures soaring beyond safe limits, the city’s most vulnerable — street animals, vegetable vendors, delivery workers, rickshaw pullers, and other outdoor laborers — face the harshest impact of this extreme weather.

At Green Society of India (GSI), we believe no life should suffer in silence.

The Heatwave Crisis in Delhi

Impact on Street Animals

• Dehydration and heatstroke due to lack of clean water and shade.
  
• Hunger, as birds and strays struggle to find adequate food.
  
• Suffering on concrete roads that radiate unbearable heat, causing distress and injury.
  

Impact on Outdoor Workers

• Heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke, exhaustion, and dehydration are increasingly common and often fatal.
  
• Many workers lack access to shaded rest areas, clean water, and basic relief facilities.
  
• Thousands of lives are lost across India every year due to prolonged exposure to extreme heat.
  

How You Can Help Street Animals

1. Start a Water Bowl Drive – Place clay or mud bowls of water in shaded spots and refill them twice daily.
   
2. Create Temporary Shade – Use jute sacks, umbrellas, or cardboard to provide shelters for strays.
   
3. Provide Food and Nutrition – Offer rice, roti, or daliya to dogs and cats; keep small bowls of bajra, rice, or chana for birds.
   
4. Use ORS or Electrolytes – Add to water during peak heat to prevent dehydration.
   
5. Recognize Heatstroke Symptoms – Panting, drooling, disorientation, or lethargy in animals require immediate shade, hydration, and veterinary care. 

Protecting Outdoor Workers

• Set Up Shade Stations – Temporary tents or umbrellas in markets and construction sites.
  
• Organize Water Stands – Hydration points for vendors, guards, rickshaw pullers, and delivery staff.
  
• Distribute ORS Kits – Packs of electrolytes, cooling towels, and hydration salts can make a life-saving difference.

Image Source: Business Standard

Delhi Rising: A Community Response

Delhi Rising is GSI’s initiative to protect both street animals and outdoor workers during extreme summers.

Your support helps us:

• Install water stations across Delhi-NCR.
  
• Distribute ORS kits and relief supplies.
  
• Provide temporary shelters for animals and people in need.
  

Image Source:India Today

Be a Part of the Change

Together, we can make Delhi safer and kinder during extreme heat.

Ways you can help:

• Donate – Fund water bowls, ORS kits, and relief shelters.
  
• Volunteer – Join our on-ground campaigns.
  
• Spread Awareness – Encourage your community to take small but impactful steps.
  

Every bowl of water, every shaded shelter, and every ORS packet can save a life. Let us rise together against the heat.

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