Heatwave strikes small traders, daily-wagers

While white-collar employees working from a fully air-conditioned office might not notice the temperature scales touching 40 degrees Celsius, daily-wagers and footpath vendors live through the debilitating effects of the worsening heatwave, which enervates not only their bodies but also their livelihoods.

Take the case of 55-year-old Karim Khan, a labourer from Mardan spotted at a footpath near Tower. "Due to the heatwave, the work of hundreds of labourers like me has been deeply affected. Since we are unable to find work for our survival, we have to rely on charity food stalls to feed ourselves and our loved ones," resented Khan.

Similarly, Haroon, a toy seller at a footpath in Saddar revealed the struggle of conducting business without a shade amidst the scorching weather. "The worsening intensity of the heatwave has reduced my business activity by 60 percent. I am barely earning enough to cover my daily expenses, and sometimes I have to return home empty-handed," lamented Haroon.

Read: PMD issues heatwave warning for Karachi

"Given the high levels of heat during the day, there are few buyers. Most of the shopping during the daytime is done by women but nowadays women only prefer to buy essential items. Therefore, street hawkers are in a state of loss," affirmed Dr Ruhi Ahmed, an economist at the University of Karachi.

According to Atiq Mir, President of the Karachi Traders Union President, the ongoing heatwave in Karachi had seriously jeopardized the livelihoods of labourers and small business owners. "Given the increasing severity of the heatwave, markets are deserted throughout most of the day. Moreover, more than 30 per cent of daily-wagers are unable to find any work at all," revealed Mir.

"As a result, many such daily-wagers have started selling cold water and other frozen desserts for maintaining their survival. This seasonal business, which requires a capital of no more than Rs10,000, has a profit margin of 30 to 50 percent," added Mir.

In line with Mir's observation, The Express Tribune spotted one such seller, a young man named Ali. selling cold water at a bus stop near Tower. "Every day, I fill ten 19-litre bottles of clean water from the nearby filter plant for Rs30 each. I then transfer them to a bigger cooler at the bus stop. A small glass is sold for Rs5 and a big glass costs Rs10. We earn a profit of Rs4 on the big glass and Rs2 on the small glass," shared Ali, who further added that many young people like him were engaged in this temporary work.

Read: Severe heatwave forces Sindh residents indoors

While the temporary businesses were a sigh of relief for the despondent daily-wagers, they nevertheless reflected the government's inability to provide cool water facilities to the citizens. "Despite announcements by the government, most public places in Karachi have no arrangements for cold water. Therefore, people have to turn to cold water sellers to beat the heat," said Rameez, a local.
On a similar note, Yusuf, a father of two children, also revealed that he frequently took his family to eat ice popsicles at makeshift vendors. "Since inflation does not allow us to buy these items from fancy parlours, we have to turn to these vendors to make our children happy," shrugged Yusuf.

On the contrary, Dr Farooq Khan, a medical practitioner shared his skepticism at the quality of water and ice products sold at public places. "Due to the heatwave, people in Karachi are consuming cold drinks, ice cream and ice popsicles in markets and public places. However, I would advise people to be careful since diarrhea cases are increasing in the city day by day," he warned.

"Seasonal businesses provide temporary employment to people, reducing their financial problems. We are trying our best to provide employment opportunities to people. The government will also set up cold water facilities in public places," assured Waqar Mehdi, leader of Sindh's ruling party, PPP.