'Humanly impossible to handle': How Dhaka's street life tackles extreme heat

On his duty at the Shahbag circle, fresh sweats are welling up on his face every now and then, and he is wiping them off with a handkerchief in his pocket. Shafiqul Islam – a traffic control policeman – also has a large umbrella spread over his head to protect him from the sun's wrath. The ultraviolet rays can cause damage to the skin, eyes, and immune system. 

It's Monday, 15 May. Just one day after the citizens of Dhaka were 'robbed of' the blessings of the slightest of rainfall in the wake of cyclone Mocha. 

"It's hotter than last year, I reckon. Every year the temperature is increasing, and becoming intolerable," says Shafiqul as he stretches his right hand as a signal for vehicles to halt. 

At around 12 pm, a blazing heat is streaming out of the sun overhead, causing a temperature of 35°C, which in reality 'feels like' over 40°C. It is near-certain that 2023-2027 will be the warmest five-year period ever recorded, the United Nations warned on 17 May. 

Amid such heatwaves, people of all ages are generally advised to stay indoors. But that's a luxury for Shafiqul, who has to continue his job, be it a hot or rainy day. 

Some days, Shafiqul works the first shift which is from 6.30 am to 2 pm. On other days, he attends his 'office' at 2 pm and stays till 11 pm. "But mostly, I work in the first shift that exposes me to the heat of the sun," he shares. 

It takes a toll on his body. The Traffic Division does little to help. "I am provided with orsaline every week. Quantity? Maybe 8-10 packets." 

Although orsaline is very important, it is likely not enough for people to work long hours under the sun and stay healthy. So, do traffic control policemen like him fall sick very often? 

Shafiqul begs to differ. As mentioned already, it's a luxury for them. "Sometimes I feel uncomfortable when my uniform gets drenched in sweat or my throat becomes dry, but I do not fall ill severely," he proudly claims. 

A similar sentiment is shared by Rafiqul Islam, another traffic control policeman posted at the Nilkhet circle. "Allah knows that we are working for the people. So, He doesn't burden us with diseases. "Besides, if we fall ill, who will look after our family, let alone the vehicles and pedestrians on the streets?" he quipped in a sarcastic tone. 

Rafiqul is in relatively good spirits. He has just drunk a glass of lemonade. Besides, he is also standing under the shadow of a tree on the road divider.  

But, of course, greenery is scarce in today's Dhaka. According to a report from last year, Dhaka has lost around 56% of its green spaces over the last three decades. 

In 1989, the city had 12,745 hectares of vegetation, which then came down to a mere 5,599 hectares in 2020. Overall, while a liveable city should contain 25% greenery of its total area, Dhaka has barely 5% greenery.  

The liquid salvation and a Herculean task 

So, there are the roadside sellers of lemon and orange drinks, matha (yoghurt drink), kulfi malai, sugarcane juice and daab (green coconut) in plenty to come to the rescue of people on the streets.
In Shahbag, Nilkhet, New Market, Farmgate and Panthapath, carts of lemon and orange drinks are the highest in numbers. While lemonade is made of real lemon extracts and a bit of salt, they use packaged powders for orange drinks. 

"These drinks are the most popular because we use ice to keep our drinks chilled, unlike you say, daab [coconut], which is sweet and authentic, but amid this temperature feels like a hot cup of tea," reasons Md Salam, who sells these drinks in front of Charukola Institute. 

Salam once used to live in the Jasimuddin Hall of the University of Dhaka. But now he lives in Lalmatia but keeps his cart inside Suhrawardy Udyan. 

He comes to the campus early in the morning and sells his drinks all day long. "This is the peak season. In the prolonged summer months between April and September, I make a profit of Tk1,200-1,500 daily."

But not every day is similar. Just the previous day, when cyclone Mocha made landfall in Bangladesh, Dhaka's temperature was around 30°C with low and passing clouds in the sky to make the day feel cooler than usual. "And guess what, it resulted in me earning just Tk60," adds Salam. 

"Rickshaw pullers are our main customers. They kept our business running even in the month of Ramadan because they can't keep fast while peddling rickshaws all day. So, we didn't have to incur much loss during the holy month," Salam chimes in. 

Others attest. One of them is Jahir, who lives in Lalbagh and rents his rickshaw from a garage in Kamrangirchar. "We really live on various kinds of drinks during the hot summer days. I, for example, drink six to seven litres of water every day. Additionally, I also consume cold sharbaat and matha," says Jahir before adding, "I don't find the traditional orsalines tasty." 

But drinking too many cold drinks and being exposed to scorching heat immediately means he also catches a cold every once in a while. "But I don't take in any heavy food in-between trips. Because if I eat something heavy, I will feel drowsy, and will no longer be able to peddle my rickshaw."

So, Jahir eats only light foods like biscuits or bread in the daytime and tries his best to make it till the evening. "Once the sun sets, I can usually relax a bit. But in recent months, even surviving till the evening has become a herculean task. There have been several instances when I had to resign soon after 7 pm because my body could no longer take the pain and exhaustion."

Photo: Shaharin Amin Shupty

But there are some like the rickshaw puller Malek who believe that he is stronger than the heatwave, "We are not like the rich people who have to be inside air-conditioned rooms all day to remain in good shape. If I don't work and make a living, my family will have to die of starvation. This is a motivation that keeps me going throughout the day," says Malek.  

While speaking, he takes off the gamcha he tied as a turban around his head and uses it to rub out the drops of sweat gathered on his neck and arms. 

Then he lets out a sigh, and goes on to break down the psychology behind such confidence, "It's all in your mind, you know. If you let the heat get the better of you, it will do. But if you can deceive your mind into believing that everything is under control, your body will also reciprocate." 

'Humanly impossible to handle' 

Although the heatwave has abated over the last few days bringing in cooler temperatures across Dhaka city and beyond, the future remains bleak. 

Reports and studies say across the world, climate change has made heatwaves more common, longer and hotter.

For instance, a study by  World Weather Attribution combined climate models with observational data to estimate the influence of human-induced climate change on extreme heat events. The results revealed a strong increase in the likelihood and intensity of humid heat events, similar to those witnessed in 2023. 

The probability of such an event occurring in India and Bangladesh has increased at least 30-fold due to human-induced climate change. Moreover, a heatwave that previously had a 20% chance of occurring in any given year is now approximately 2°C hotter in heat index due to human activities.

Rickshaw puller Malek reveals that in mid-April this year when Dhaka recorded the highest temperature in 58 years since 1965 at 40.4°C, some of his rickshaw puller friends suffered a heat stroke. 

"It's at the back of my mind that I might face the same. My old mother and wife are also very worried about it and often call on my mobile phone to check on me. But I don't want to give much thought to it."

Bookseller Kashem is also facing the wrath of this summer, as he is seen sitting on a tool with an umbrella over his head. He is visibly very disturbed and frustrated. "The heat is becoming humanly impossible to handle. My hands also hurt from holding the umbrella at a stretch. A 65-year-old man like me cannot go on like this for long," he says. 

So don't you bring a tarpaulin like other street vendors? "To set up a shop in the footpaths of Nilkhet, we already have to pay a hefty sum of money. And now if I bring a tarpaulin, it will look like I am trying to take possession of this place permanently. So, I cannot do that to be in harmony with others," he replies.

Calculative risks 

But there are other booksellers Sajib and customised frame seller Nayan, who have their temporary shops right under the sun, but they tend to sit somewhere nearby in the shadows to escape the sunshine.

Photo: Shaharin Amin Shupty

"I don't see any point sitting or standing under the sun all along. If I see any customer really interested in buying my product, only then do I show up," says Nayan with a smile on his face. 

Meanwhile, street vendor Kalam sits with a basket full of bananas under the shadow of Mukti O 
Ganatantra Toran, and seems to be struggling to attract customers. "I could have sold more bananas had I sat right next to the street. But it's impossible to sit directly under the sun. I would fall sick, and my bananas would also start to grow mould sooner," he reasons. 

Harun, a daabwala sitting deep in the alley between New Market and Chandrima Market, is scratching his head with the same problem. "If I sit with my daab beside the main road, I could be visible to more people. But my daabs would become very hot within a very short time."

And so, Harun has decided to take a calculative risk. He believes supplying moderately normal-tempered daab water is more important to ask a higher price from them than sitting right under the sun and selling boiling daab water for a low price.   

Elsewhere, some people are comparatively luckier than this. Take Raju Mondol for example. He is a welder currently working in front of the Birdem General Hospital for the Metro Rail project. 
Raju has to work from 8 am to 5 pm. That's a long working hour. But he, and the other welders, aren't exposed to direct sun rays. 

First of all, they have the Metro Rail Line over their head to provide them with shadows. Also, they set up tarpaulin every time they have to work directly under the sun. "Most importantly, we have an MBBS doctor ready to treat us whenever we fall sick," says Raju. "However, none of us have really fallen sick that much so far."

The Metro Rail Line viaduct is also giving shadows to the flagmen doing their duties in the Karwan Bazar area. "But you see, even if we can escape the sun ray, we aren't escaping the temperature that is always on the rise," explains Babul, a flag man whose job responsibilities include controlling the flow of traffic so that pedestrians can cross the road safely.  

"Only some rainfall can bring this temperature down a bit. I wish we got more rain this year," says hawker Morshed, who sells kitchen utensils in the Farmgate area."But then again, if it rains cats and dogs, people like us who work on the streets will be out of work for the time being."

Actually, this is applicable to everyone that makes up Dhaka's street life, as rain cannot always bring the much-needed relief they are seeking. Rather, incessant rain sends Dhaka's streets underwater, causing unlimited suffering to them. 

"Rain is enjoyable for the rich only. Only waterlogging and the never-ending traffic jam are allocated to us," says rickshaw puller Faruk. "And rain means keeping my shop closed, and no customer showing up for the remainder of the day," adds bookseller Kashem.

"What we need more is trees. Only they can give us shelter from both the sun and the rain, without taking our means of living away," concludes Kashem.