April and May are usually the most difficult months for Bhiwandi, a large textile center in Thane near Mumbai. The area has around 50,000 factories, mostly traditional power loom units that turn yarn into fabric. Each summer, as temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius, many migrant workers return to their home states. Most of the town’s 1.5 to 2 million workers come from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. This year, however, nearly half began departing in March, disrupting production schedules.
