Labourers start early, stagger work to escape from the scorching sun in Madurai

New Indian Express

01-05-2025

MADURAI: Workers are feeling the heat with temperatures hovering over 35 degree Celsius. Those working outdoors such as food delivery agents and assessors from electricity boards, among others, are sweating it out, with doctors advising to drink plenty of water to beat the heat.
Bhaskaran (34) from Otthakadi told TNIE, 'We have been deployed for house construction in Surveyor colony for the past four months. From 10 am we start feeling the heat, and so we have divided the work into two patterns. We first complete the construction on the western side of the building in the morning, and finish the work on the eastern side in the evening.'
Sathiya (42), another worker, said, 'By noon we are unable to stand and tolerate the heat. My mouth gets dry. I feel dizzy and suffer from fatigue. I dehydrate very quickly in this heat. Heat waves are draining our energy out. There's no end to this problem, as next month is May, which is the worst.'
Mohan (43), a food delivery agent, said, 'The order flow increases after 12.30 pm, it drags up to 4 pm. Sometimes we get more than 15 orders at a time, it is the worst. We carry water in the box to beat the heat.'
Sathish Kumar (44), another food delivery agent, said, 'For the past four years, we have been facing trouble in the summer season. Hot air lashes against my face on all the main roads. When we can't find the address of the customer, or if the customer doesn't pick up the phone, then it's a sheer hell.'
Assessors from Tangedco (Madurai) who otherwise used to check meter readings in the afternoon, are now doing the work in the morning. An assessor, on condition of anonymity said, 'For the past 20 days, it's been too hot. As we have to walk from one house to another, we can't bear the heat. So, we check the meters in the morning from 7 onwards. Many a time, we have to skip breakfast to complete our target.'
S Nachimuthu, a welder in Sambakulam, said, 'Welding involves fabrication of iron and steel items, with high heat, sparks, and fumes. We cannot touch the iron rods, grilles – they are too hot. Large iron grilles cannot be taken inside, so we are directly facing the sunlight. We break the entire schedule into small portions.'
'The key message for summer is to drink a lot of water,' said Dr J Saravanan, Resident Medical Officer, Government Rajaji Hospital. 'Apart from watermelons and other juices, drinking water in the morning helps rehydrate after a good night's sleep. Take care of hygiene, as diarrhoea-related cases spike during the summer.'