Fifty-year-old Lakshmi, a pourakarmika working in J.P. Nagar, now takes multiple beaks to sit under the shade as she feels light-headed sweeping the streets even in morning hours.
The sweltering heat is making it difficult for her to work, especially between 11 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. In the summer, the civic workers have more work as trees shed leaves. “With roads reflecting heat and hot wind, it is becoming increasingly impossible to work this summer,” said Ms. Lakshmi. As a committed worker, she has a reputation for sweeping the roads to ensure no single leaf is left unswept. But she is now unable to keep up. Sourcing water is another task, she said.
Rangamma, another pourakarmika from ward number 71 (Hegganahalli), said drinking water had become a big issue. “We do not find water so easily. A few residents give water, but how many times can we ask?” she asked.
