Duty under duress: The unseen, unheard heat wave victims

For the last couple of days, another heatwave has descended on the city.

Hossain Ahmed drives the Midline bus on the Khilgaon-Mohakhali route. His day starts at six in the morning. "Because of the heat, I feel no motivation to get on the engine but I have to. And when I turn on the fan, it is even worse, the air feels like it is coming from the sun."

"And the engine's heat, on the other hand, makes it even more painful to keep sitting. [Past Thursday midnight], the power went off at 2 am and the power got back after Fajr. I could not close my eyes the whole time. Because of this sleep deprivation, there is a persistent headache all day," he said.

Professor Dr A B M Abdullah said, "Symptoms like stomach ache, headache, and sleep deprivation, if continued for a while, should not be ignored but rather be seen by a specialist and treated accordingly."

But these professionals tend to power through the thick and thin of heat waves and seldom get to see a doctor. And while many of us have to endure the extreme heat only temporarily, these are the people toiling all day under the sun, only to go home and live through power cuts and sleepless nights.

We found Robiul Alam, a rickshaw puller at Esktaon Road around 3 pm in the afternoon. He was taking a break. He had his arms raised, holding a 2-litre water bottle and drinking from it.

"Last couple of months have been difficult. I go out of home when the power is out even if it is 3 at night and just sit on the road. I work eight hours every day under unbearable heat. It feels like the skin on my back and chest is burning. This is why now I am just sitting here for the last half an hour."

Giash Uddin, another rickshaw puller, says the extreme heat and frequent power cuts make life extremely difficult. He stays in a tin-shed home for around Tk4,000 a month."The room feels like an oven at night," lamented a fed-up Giash.

The situation is so bad that "just when eyes turn heavy, the power goes off. Just imagine, you work all day, go home dog-tired and you can't even sleep – what could be worse than that? When I sleep less, there is something wrong in my stomach, [and] my mood gets irritated. Can't do my work properly. It feels like my brain is getting damaged."

Mohammad Sumon of VIP 27 Bus said, "Because of this heat, nowadays I can't work in a stretch so I work only on alternate days. See, my legs are burning. I work from dawn till past 10 at night. It feels like my body is bathed in salt water."

"And my eyes are filled with sleep and my body gets so tired that I cannot move. My mental state always remains vexed," he said while shouting at a car driver for continuously honking the horn.

"All day, I have to drink three litres of water, but even that is not enough. Tk200 of my salary goes just for water I buy on the road."

Professor Abdullah said, "There is no fixed amount of water one needs to take a day. One [who works on the road all day] can usually take three to four litres of water in summer – as salts get out with sweat, those who stay outside should take salt with water or consume orsaline."

BRTC bus driver Hasan said, "My whole body seems to be burning," pointing at heat rashes on his neck and chest.

Mohammad Ali, a traffic constable said on Saturday, "There is no use for us to complain. That's our job. When I go home, the whole body goes through pain. I grew a respiratory problem and I am now under medical treatment. Can't sleep due to a headache."

Professor Abdullah recommended, "Recently there have been some cases of death from heatstroke. There is, of course, a chance of this occurring. It happens only if a person stays under direct sun for hours. To avoid heatstroke, one should take proper breaks, wear loose clothes and drink saline water frequently."

Billal Mia, a Chankharpool resident and a hawker who sells cigarettes and betel leaves, was resting under a tree shade beside the Supreme Court. "I stay in a mess. And messes are congested. One sleeps over another," adding that he stays awake at night.

"When going to bed, because of the heat rashes, the skin itches. I never had these rashes before. Now Eid-ul-Adha is coming, I have to work and earn money to buy some clothes for my wife and kids," explained Billal, who is originally from Sylhet and has been residing in the city for the past two years. He pays Tk120 per day when he stays in the mess.

Constable Mohammad Khalilur Rahman at the Kakrail Road intersection was taking a break from work. He sat under a tree and took off his boots and socks. "In this heat, it is unbearable to wear these boots for even two hours. The body doesn't want to tolerate but we have to make it work," explained Rahman, adding, even a two-hour shift at a stretch feels humanly unbearable. "The limbs feel as though they are inside an oven."

He went on to explain how this unbearable heat "which is felt every inch of the body, from the bottom of the leg to the top of the head" makes it almost impossible to keep composure. "I can't behave well with people. When you are in extreme discomfort how can you behave well? People misunderstand us."

Rafiqul Islam drives the Boshumoti bus. "I work every day for eight to nine hours. Sit on my seat, you will feel the heat of the engine. The whole body, especially the left side, burns. Then add the traffic jam with that. And can't sleep at night. I avoid interacting with the passengers because I am already in a foul mood. If I express it with the passengers, it will only get worse."

Professor Abdullah said, "With the change in temperature, our body might be adjusted over time. But it will vary from person to person. Everyone doesn't have the same reactive body, some have better immunity and some are weak and they will adapt accordingly."

While many of the rickshaw pullers, bus drivers and street hawkers informed us that they intake as much water and orsaline as possible to keep cool "it doesn't make much of a difference with this heat," explained Md Saddam Hussain, bus driver.

Scores of these professionals continue to suffer daily.

Falling sick

"With this heat, it's better to be working than not doing anything. From what I've seen, everybody is in dire condition because of this heat. I've gotten sick from this heat. My stomach is really sore, and my urine is turning bright orange throughout the day. I've been drinking a lot of water to keep cool," said Abdul Fajal, a clothes hawker.

Meanwhile, "I've been getting headaches, fever and coughs. There's a fan on top of my head. We drink water and saline to keep cool. I have heard about people fainting in other buses but we haven't seen anything like that yet," said Md Rajib Hossain, a bus driver, who admitted that because of the heat, he works every alternate day and his work shift can take up to 20 hours a day.

"My physical condition isn't really the best at the moment but I have to work to put food on the table, can't really do anything about it. I usually feel nauseated. And, sometimes it gets to a point where I have to puke because of this heat," said Md Firoz, a CNG auto-rickshaw driver who usually works 12 hours a day. "Switching to a lungi from trousers," among other things, still isn't making the cut to cope well with this extreme heat, Firoz concluded.

Depleting income

Saddam Hussain, a bus driver said, "Because of heat, the passengers grow impatient and shout at us when we wait for more passengers. Therefore the trips don't go full and it affects our income, and my income is somewhat affected by the heatwave."

Meanwhile, Ojiullah Bhuiyan, a tea stall proprietor from Moghbazar said, "As it's unbearable, I get home early so I get fewer sales at my shop." Abdul Fajal, a hawker from Badda agreed saying, "If I cannot tolerate the heat, how can I stay on the road and sell my products?"

Heatwave / climate change / Dhaka / Bangladesh