Fisherfolk in Perumathura constructed temporary shelters to escape from summer heat
Nisar Kannangara
From March to May, Kerala faces its hottest months. This season is especially tough for the fisherfolk living along the coast, whose livelihoods and health are increasingly threatened by persistent heat. In the past, they would spend these months repairing nets and waiting for the monsoon to arrive. Now, things have changed. Some argue that technology is a factor, while others attribute the issue to climate change. These days, those who use ring-seine boats often stop fishing in the summer because fish are scarce. Fisherfolk with bigger trawlers spend more days at sea and travel farther to find fish, but they still have more unlucky days than before. Traditional fishers with small boats keep going out, even though they rarely get a good catch and often return empty-handed. Studies show that rising sea temperatures, and the changes in the saline are affecting the availability of certain fish species. Pelagic fish, which are sensitive to warmer water temperatures, are migrating to cooler areas. This causes economic problems for coastal communities that rely on these fish for their livelihoods. In addition to these, the poor housing and infrastructure, as well as the lack of adequate interventions, make the fisherfolk in Kerala face numerous daily challenges during the summer.
When I began my fieldwork in February in the fisherfolk settlements of Kozhikode, I encountered common beliefs held by non-fishing community members involved in the fish trade. Many expressed confidences in the resilience of fisherfolk, saying they are accustomed to daily challenges at sea, physically strong, and more capable of handling extreme heat. There was a prevalent view that fisherfolk are less likely to experience health difficulties from heat stress compared to those not engaged in fishing activities.
At that time, the temperature in Kozhikode had reached 34 degrees, but it felt even hotter. Rajani (name changed), a health worker from the midlands area, was working at a Family Health Center on the coast for the first time. She told me the heat there felt very different. In her hometown and previous workplaces, the presence of trees and access to fresh water made things more comfortable. On the coast, she noticed that heat comes not just from the sun but also from the sand, which reflects it. There are fewer trees, so when she visits the area, she often gets a headache by the evening. The humidity is high, and even the water feels heavier. Rajani also shared her views on the health of fisherfolk. She believes that hard work, fast food, mental stress, and alcohol use have already affected the health of fisherfolk.
Listening directly to fisherfolk, I found their experiences of heat differed from what I heard in the harbor. They shared that they are already facing various health challenges during the hotter months. What follows are brief accounts from my visits to Malabar Coast settlements between February and May.
Jose (Name Changed) is a 68-year-old fisherman who lives in Chellaman, one of the most vulnerable coastal settlements in India. The Chellanam, situated on a narrow strip of land, is located between the Arabian Sea and Vembanad Lake, on the periphery of Kochi in the Ernakulam district of Kerala. Chellanam is experiencing severe erosion of its coastline, frequent sea surges, and coastal floods. Jose lives near the sea, close to the recently constructed harbor. The harbor was constructed alongside a newly built tetrapod seawall over a 7km area of the coastline in the southern part of Chellanam. Jose and people living in that part of Chellanam have regained their confidence and happiness now. Chellanam harbor is also located there, it is now attracting fisherfolk from neighboring places, as well as big fish marketing companies from around Kochi, to Chellanam.
Labors at work in Chellanam harbor in summer
When I met Jose at Chellanam harbor in March, he looked tanned and tired. The sun was so bright that day, and I had to keep my head down as I walked the last kilometer to the harbor after getting off the bus at the harbor stop. I was sweating all the way. Jose was sitting under a concrete building, repairing his red fishnet. We talked for almost an hour as he continued his repair work. He told me that once summer begins, he gets a severe headache. He showed me how the pain starts at the back of his head and moves to his forehead, becoming unbearable. Jose has dealt with this pain for years. He has seen a doctor in Chellanam, and while medicine helps for a while, the headache always returns, especially when he works in the heat. The doctor told him the pain is due to a compressed vein and advised him to rest during the summer. Jose believes that his headache is old and it can’t be cured. Over the years, he has learned how to manage the pain. He showed me that he keeps his head in a specific position that provides him with some relaxation.
In the second meeting, he stated that he had consulted the doctor again when the headache became more severe, and this time, the doctor advised him to visit the Government Medical College and consult a specialist there. Jose is unsure about when he can attend the Government Medical College. Jose already owned a small boat, for which he had a loan. Taking off from fishing is almost impossible.
Jose’s case is just one example of a larger trend. Across the coast, many other elderly fisherfolk are also experiencing headaches during the summer in their own ways.
Sunburn is common in coastal areas. Many men get sunburn while fishing, and women while selling fish in summer. Sunburn has become a normalized part of life for coastal settlers. Haneef (Name Changed), a fisherman from Perumathura, exemplifies how they accept sunburn as a routine occurrence.
Haneef is a 58-year-old fisherman. I met him in March, just after I had arrived, and was walking between the long, sandy beaches. When I met Haneef, he was with his two friends. They were all playing cards, and now seem to be going to the market area. I just initiated a conversation, starting with the temperature. Is it the same when they are growing up here? I asked them. They all said that the temperature has been increasing over the years. And this year it is the highest one of them added. When I asked them if there were any health consequences of this increasing temperature, they all, one by one, said no, we don’t have any health issues. In the evening, we all come to the beach and enjoy the breeze. While we were having the conversation, another fisherman joined the circle that we had already formed, a little towards Haneef’s side, and smiled at me. I just introduced myself and briefed him about the conversation that we are having here. He suddenly looked at Haneef and said, ‘You are the person; you tell him about your sunburn.’
Actually, Haneef did not even think of the two big sunburn marks on his back shoulder that he got three days ago. He almost forgot about it. He then pulled up the T-shirt collar and showed me the two larger sunburn marks on the back of his shoulder. While doing so, he mentioned that there are a few more people in his boat who have also developed sunburn this year. Since they were all going to the market, we said goodbye to each other. The next morning, I met Haneef again at the beach. We have a longer conversation. This time, he told me the story of the day he had a sunburn.
On that morning, he had felt an irritation on his shoulder when he woke up in the early morning. He just touched there. He noticed the skin was dry, and a layer of dried skin peeled off when he touched it. He experienced minor discomfort from it. But everything else in the morning was the same. He had breakfast at home. He went fishing. When he told his boatmates, they explained to him that it was sunburn. So far, the sunburn hasn’t bothered him or affected his work. He showed me the marks again and said it had already gone.
I met Salman (Name Changed), a part-time fisherman and part-time chef, in Perumathuara on a morning in the second week of March. Salman was actually coming towards me. When I met him, he had severe itching all over his body; he looked tired and helpless from the itching. Both his hands look reddish. He said that in the summer, he always gets an itching sensation. He was a Gulf migrant who worked in Sharjah for years but was forced to leave due to an itchy condition. When the temperature rises, he experiences an itching sensation. Salman believes that the itching is happening because his blood is getting heated. While going to the sea in the summer, his blood heats up, and his second job also requires him to cope with the high temperatures. So far, he has only consulted at the local family health center in Perumathura. But consulting the doctor did not improve his condition. Now, his friends have suggested a skin specialist in Chirazhinkeezhu. His financial condition has prevented him from consulting a specialist.
In the next few days, I saw nearly a dozen people in Perumathura who have itching in the summer. Among them are Salman’s mother and his daughter. His mother and his daughter also have similar itching in the summer. The genealogical map will show that Salman and his mother live in the same household, and both of them developed itching in the summer of 2019. However, Salman’s daughter lives with her husband’s family in Kollam. For her, the itching began two years ago; since then, every summer, she has experienced it. Salman’s father, aged 80, had developed severe issues with
Genealogical Mapping of Salman Family
his eyes around 8 years ago, and the treatment did not succeed; he became fully blind in 2021. He stays inside the asbestos-roofed house and develops anxiety in the summer.
In Perumathura, People rely on Nycil as a remedy to itching in summer
In the following days, I met three other people in Perumathura who were struggling with severe itching. The local chemist had told me one day that Nycil powder is the most popular item in his medical shop in Perumathura during the summer.
During my journey along the Malabar Coast, through selected settlements in Kozhikode, Kochi, and Trivandrum, I observed residents experiencing heat strokes and related health concerns. Individuals with allergies, asthma, skin problems, stress, sleep disturbances, and ear balance issues are particularly affected during the summer in these coastal settlements. In some areas, residents use sandy beaches as a primary means of relief during the summer, especially at night. However, coastal erosion has resulted in the loss of sandy beaches in most locations. The perceptions shared by non-fishing individuals during initial fieldwork phases did not align with subsequent observations, as both the physical and mental health of fisherfolk appear to become more vulnerable to heat and other extreme events.
