In one of the world's hottest capital cities, a specialist team is working to help pregnant women survive the scorching temperatures.

On a scorching June morning, when temperatures hit 43.9C (111F) in Delhi, Baby Kumari fainted, while rushing to a routine check-up at the nearby health centre. Pregnant with her fifth child and struggling to cope with Delhi's scorching temperatures, for a moment she thought she was having a miscarriage.

Fortunately, Kalyani Karan, an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), was by her side. ASHAs are part of India's million-strong network of female community health workers, trained to provide medical aid in emergencies. They provide doorstep health services in rural and suburban areas to reduce maternal and infant mortality and have significantly improved healthcare access for low-income communities in India.

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"When Kumari fainted, I knew I had to quickly do something because her fluids and electrolytes were depleting, making it harder for her body to cool down through sweating," says Karan. "I took her aside, dabbed her face with a wet piece of my scarf, and fanned her with a punkha [a hand fan]. She regained composure after a few minutes, and I gave her some water mixed with oral rehydration solution [ORS], which I always carry," says Karan. She then quickly took Kumari to a district hospital.

There a doctor confirmed Kumari was suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, conditions that could have escalated into life-threatening heat stroke if not for Karan's timely intervention with ORS – a mix of water, electrolytes and carbohydrates used to treat dehydration.

After these interventions, Kumari recovered. She cleans homes and works as a cook in the crowded and chaotic neighbourhood of Najafgarh, on the outskirts of Delhi. Last summer, temperatures reached 47.8C (118F) in Najafgarh, making it the hottest area in the capital.

"I've never experienced anything like this in my last pregnancies," Kumari says. "I often feel lightheaded and find myself getting irritated easily."

In Delhi, Karan and hundreds of other ASHAs are helping thousands of pregnant women navigate the growing risks that heat poses to maternal health in a warming world.

Extreme heat poses a risk to the majority of India's population, according to a recent report by the International Institute for Environment and Development. Delhi recorded 4,222 days with temperatures above 35C (95F) over the past three decades, more than any other of the world's 20 most populous capital cities.

India is expected to be among the first countries where temperatures exceed safe limits for healthy people by 2050, even while resting in the shade, which could impact labour productivity, economic growth and the quality of life for 310 to 480 million people.

The number of extremely hot days and nights in India – when the body cannot adequately recover from daytime heat – could quadruple by 2050 if emissions continue to rise unabated.

Pregnant women like Kumari are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. Increased heat exposure during pregnancy has been linked to a higher risk of several serious health conditions, including hypertension, preeclampsia, cardiac events and gestational diabetes. Studies also show that heat can lead to increased rates of

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