RIYADH: Sheltering under a palm tree in Saudi Arabia’s capital, a Pakistani delivery driver stole a quick break during the lunch rush when orders - and scorching temperatures - are at their peak. Gulping a bottle of cold water as the mercury neared 50 degrees Celsius, the motorcycle driver said he was well aware the Gulf kingdom’s harsh summer heat could be fatal. Yet only by pushing through and filling the daily blitz of food orders will he earn enough money to send something back home, his main reason for coming to Saudi Arabia in the first place.
“The heat is intense and the sun is deadly. I always feel tired and exhausted,” the 26-year-old said, asking to be identified only as Mohammed to avoid reprisal from authorities or his employer. “But it is a good job for me and my family,” added the father of two small children who live in Pakistan.
Sprawling Saudi Arabia, already one of the world’s hottest countries, faces rising threats from high temperatures attributed to climate change. Its scorching summers could become longer and hotter as the planet warms, experts warn. The risks were on display in June, when more than 1,300 people died while performing the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage to Makkah, according to an official tally — most of them unauthorized pilgrims exposed to long periods outdoors.
To protect laborers, Saudi Arabia bans work under direct sunlight and in open-air areas between noon and 3:00 pm from mid-June until mid-September as part of a lon.