Amid the severe heatwave across Bangladesh, food deliverymen are bearing the brunt as they have to stay outside in the blistering sun for hours and cycle across the city.
Mahiul Sardar completed his graduation in Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) from a private university.
He is from Khulna and is the eldest of two sisters and one brother.
Mahiul took up the job as a deliveryman in Foodpanda a year ago as he failed to get a job. He sends his earnings to his family living in Khulna, while he lives alone in the capital’s Kamrangirchar area.
While speaking about his predicament, he expressed the harsh reality of his situation and said he cannot afford the luxury of unemployment in the city.
“I have fainted several times in the last few days due to the severe heat. Fell ill several times as well. You can say, I am playing with death.”
He added that if he had a proper job, he would have left Foodpanda as this occupation does not pay much.
Another food deliveryman, 19-year-old Mamun Sheikh, said his family lives in Bagerhat and he lives in a mess (an accommodation arrangement where individuals share a living space) in Dhaka.
He said he works for 12-14 hours as a food deliveryman.
“Many times I fall on the road while cycling. It hurts a lot. But when I think I have to send money home, I forget about the pain,” he said.
Mamun complained that many times he has to climb to the fifth or sixth floors of residential buildings to deliver food after cycling for hours.
“I have to cycle more than 10 kilometres a day. Although the income is not very high here, work is easily available. There is a lack of jobs in the country, good jobs are not available if you want,” he added.
Zahid Hasan, a student, said: "I have been working as a food deliveryman for almost a year besides studying. Earlier, I used to work all day, but now I am delivering only in the afternoons.”
He said due to the heat people are ordering more from restaurants but it is very difficult to go out in this heat.
Another student Jahangir said: "In this heat, where it is difficult to stay at home, I am delivering food by cycling on the road in the sun. I cannot make you understand how difficult this is. I had fallen sick quite a few times, but I'm still working. There is no other way for me.”
Heatwave
The heatwave has gripped Bangladesh since the beginning of April. The highest temperature records are being broken in different districts.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has issued heat alerts six times in a row.
The sixth alert was issued on Friday for the next 48 hours.
Meteorologist Md Omar Faruq said: "The prevailing heatwave over Khulna, Rangpur, Rajshahi divisions and the western parts of Dhaka division may continue for the next 48 hours commencing from 6pm on Friday.".
This announcement follows earlier alerts issued on April 19, April 22, and April 25, April 28 and April 30 as the BMD continues to monitor and respond to the challenging weather patterns affecting the region.
