Rising humidity across India’s coast in summer is a health danger

Before the sun shines on the Arabian Sea, fisherman Mariyani Miyelpillai, 73, is already turning his kattamaram raft homeward. He must escape another summer morning turning too hot and dense to bear.

Fishing solo off the seam where Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari districts meet, his work days have turned into a test of endurance. His raft must be propelled by sheer muscle power, adding to the already challenging heat. “I go for fishing at 5 am, but come back by 8 am, whether I get enough fish or not,” he told Mongabay-India. “I cannot manage this heat.”

As the sun moves past the Tropic of Cancer, ushering in summer, a certain heaviness settles on skin and breath for veteran fishers like Miyelpillai. So does Tarsila Thresya, 54, a fisherwoman. “I go early to sell fish by the roadside. I’m back by 5.30 pm or 6 pm. Earlier it was okay, but now the heat is increasing a lot. Sometimes I put a towel on my head, but it does not help.”

Humid heat intensifies

Amidst more frequent and intense heatwaves, the southwestern coast is facing another quieter, insidious shift – rising humid heat. Air so soaked with moisture that sweat no longer cools. On tropical coasts, especially before the monsoon, this is...

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