Skip to content
  • About
  • Partner with Us
  • Indonesia
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Topics
  • News
  • Brief
  • Interview
  • Opinion
  • Figure
  • Infographic
  • Video
  • Community
  • Partner
  • Press Release
  • Youth
  • Global
  • Featured
  • Soft News

A New Insurance Against Heatwaves for Female Workers in India

The Arsht-Rock Foundation launched a new heat insurance to help the female informal workers protect their income during severe heat waves.
by Kresentia Madina May 30, 2023
a woman is holding garden brooming and dustpan

Photo: Steve Rybka on Unsplash.

Climate change has brought many changes to the planet; the rising temperature is one of them. As the world gets hotter, more adjustments must be made to adapt to the changing climate. In India, a heat insurance scheme has been launched to protect female informal workers against heatwaves.

Current deadly heatwaves

The United States National Centers for Environmental Information recorded 2022 as the sixth warmest year since 1880. In recent years, more attention has been centered on limiting global warming from breaching the 1.5 °C threshold.

The rising earth’s temperature resulted in highly unpredictable and more severe weather, including heatwaves. India is one of the countries suffering from the deadly heat. Studies show that the average temperature in India has risen around 0.7˚C between 1901-2018, burdening public health, the economy, and the country’s progress toward sustainable development.

The extreme heatwave is hazardous to informal workers who often work outdoors with little protection and financial safety nets. The World Bank estimated that the number of hours considered unsafe to do outdoor work will increase by 15% in 2030. Recently, the Arsht-Rock Foundation launched the Extreme Heat Income Micro-Insurance to help female informal workers in India protect their income during severe heatwaves.

Heat insurance

Most women in India work in informal sectors, such as waste recycling and street vending. These occupations often require them to work outdoors, where they get direct exposure to the weather. When heatwaves strike, these workers must choose between keeping working and risking their health or staying cool and losing their daily income. 

The Extreme Heat Income Micro-Insurance aims to protect female workers in India against heat waves. It is a form of parametric insurance that will automatically pay the member’s bank accounts when the extreme heat reaches the point deemed unsafe to work. Currently, the insurance is designed to pay an estimated $3 per day and can be paid out multiple times. The program will cover the premium fee during the pilot phase, and there will be a nominal program fee for participants.  

Women’s resilience against disaster

Today, more adjustments must be made to adapt to the changing climate. The Extreme Heat Income Insurance ran its pilot phase in April 2023. It aims to target 21,000 women who are members of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). As strengthening women’s resilience against disaster encompasses multiple aspects, the Arsht-Rock Foundation, SEWA, and Blue Marble will further explore solutions that include personal accident, maternity care, and disability insurance. Accelerating women’s resilience against disaster marks progress to sustainable development where no one is left behind.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma


Subscribe to Green Network Asia
Strengthen your personal and professional development with cross-sectoral insights on sustainability-related issues and sustainable development across the Asia Pacific and beyond.
Select Your Subscription Plan
Kresentia Madina
Kresentia Madina
Reporter at Green Network Asia | Website |  + postsBio

Madina is the Assistant Manager for Digital Publications at Green Network Asia. She graduated from Universitas Indonesia with a bachelor's degree in English Literature. She has three years of professional experience working on GNA international digital publications, programs, and partnerships particularly on social and cultural issues.

  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    Comprehensive and Participatory Drought Monitoring for Improved Disaster Mitigation
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    The Role of Risk Communication for Better Disaster Preparedness
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    How the City of Umeå Addresses Gender Inequality in Urban Areas
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    Implementing Integrated Approach to Strengthen Resilience in South Africa

Continue Reading

Previous: Tackling Cyberbullying on Children with Swipe Safe
Next: Singapore’s New Net-Zero Sustainable Building Is a School

Related Stories

Charcoal chip and charcoal ashes. Looking into Biochar as a Bioremediation Agent
  • Brief
  • Featured

Looking into Biochar as a Bioremediation Agent

by Ayu Nabilah July 2, 2025
a tuvalu flag Australian Climate Visa for Citizens of Tuvalu: Showcasing cross-border partnership in light of the climate crisis
  • Featured
  • Soft News

Australian Climate Visa for Citizens of Tuvalu: Showcasing cross-border partnership in light of the climate crisis

by Kresentia Madina July 1, 2025
Small Islands in the middle of Raja Ampat seas Nickel Mining in Raja Ampat and the Widespread Cost of Natural Resource Exploitation
  • Featured
  • Soft News

Nickel Mining in Raja Ampat and the Widespread Cost of Natural Resource Exploitation

by Andi Batara June 30, 2025
blue refugee tent Lumbung Sosial: Challenges and Opportunities of Indonesia’s Social Barn Program
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

Lumbung Sosial: Challenges and Opportunities of Indonesia’s Social Barn Program

by Kesya Arla June 27, 2025
a ladybug perched on a flower A Worrying State of Insect Decline
  • Featured
  • Soft News

A Worrying State of Insect Decline

by Kresentia Madina June 26, 2025
an orangutan sitting on a tree branch GEF Approves Funding for Biodiversity Conservation Projects in Indonesia
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

GEF Approves Funding for Biodiversity Conservation Projects in Indonesia

by Abul Muamar June 25, 2025

About Us

  • GNA CEO’s Letter
  • GNA In-House Team
  • GNA Author Network
  • GNA Press Release Guidelines
  • GNA Op-ed Article Guidelines
  • GNA Community Content Guidelines
  • GNA Internship
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
© 2021-2025 Green Network Asia