{"id":46297,"date":"2022-04-21T14:01:36","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T13:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=46297"},"modified":"2022-05-03T11:08:29","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T10:08:29","slug":"migrant-workers-suffer-heat-stress-during-ramadan-in-arabian-gulf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2022\/04\/21\/migrant-workers-suffer-heat-stress-during-ramadan-in-arabian-gulf\/","title":{"rendered":"Migrant workers suffer heat stress during Ramadan in Arabian Gulf"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ashish Jangid is a practising Hindu working in the construction sector in Saudi Arabia and has conflicted feelings about Ramadan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWork is lighter during Ramadan and just in the evenings because even the management is relaxed. But when I work fewer hours, I get paid less too,\u201d says the Indian migrant worker. \u201cI am also worried about what it will be like after Ramadan because we will work in the daytime again until July. It is going to be really hot.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is not unusual for daily temperatures to top 35C and a high of 45C was recorded<\/a> in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region last week. Climate change is increasing the frequency of heatwaves<\/a> in urban hubs across the Arabian Gulf: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar.<\/p>\n

This year Ramadan began on 2 April and will last 29 or 30 days, depending on the moon. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, around 14 hours a day for those living in Saudi Arabia. That means no eating or drinking, even water.<\/p>\n

An analysis of weather station data that was recorded till March 2020, shows some parts of the UAE have crossed the temperature threshold<\/a> that the human body can withstand. Ras al Khaimah has, at times, recorded wet bulb temperatures of 35C, when the body is no longer able to cool itself by sweating.<\/p>\n

\n