Amid heat wave, brick kiln workers suffer

Labourers working at brick kilns are the real victims of the high temperatures being recorded these past few days in the Telangana. 

Most of the workers , who hails from other states, endure additional 2-3 degree Celsius temperatures, residing just beside the brick kilns which burn most of the time.

Though the laborers work in making bricks in the morning or evening they can’t escape from heat emanating from the kilns. With the mercury rising up to 46 degree Celsius, they face nearly 50 C where they live. 

Their kids play alongside the kilns along the road in Surjapur on the outskirts of Khanapur mandal headquarter. The contractors do not make special arrangements for the laborers.

Contractors continue working the kilns in the hot summer as manufacturing bricks in the rainy season will be difficult. The work will have to be suspended off and on  to avoid bricks getting drenched. There will be good demand for the bricks because of ongoing construction activity.

Working conditions are horrible for the laborers at brick kilns as smoke emanates from the burning brick kilns cause suffocation to the laborers in addition to the high temperature.

A labourer, on condition of anonymity, said that the workers were facing unusual temperature in the premises of brick kilns where they work and reside. Sometimes they faint and return to work after they are revived, without taking much rest on the instruction of their contractor.