DistantNews
Support us
'Work is work, it has to be done': Brickmakers in Pakistan scorched by sun above and fire below
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Environment & Climate

'Work is work, it has to be done': Brickmakers in Pakistan scorched by sun above and fire below

From Dawn · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Brickmakers in Pakistan face extreme heat from both the sun and traditional kilns burning over 1,000°C.
  • Climate change exacerbates these harsh conditions, making summers even hotter in a country already experiencing temperatures above 40°C.
  • Workers earn about $3 a day, often trapped in debt cycles and facing deteriorating health due to the dangerous working environment.

Brickmakers in Pakistan endure grueling conditions, working between the intense heat of the sun and the fiery kilns that burn above 1,000 degrees Celsius. These traditional kilns demand constant monitoring, pushing workers to their limits.

The heat is undoubtedly extreme but when you think about the financial pressures at home, you have no option but to keep working.

— Abid HussainA 35-year-old brickmaker describing the conditions at a kiln in Sheikhupura district.

Climate change is intensifying these already extreme summer temperatures, with Pakistan already accustomed to highs exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. This exacerbates the already unbearable working environment for hundreds of thousands of laborers in the brick-making industry.

"The heat is undoubtedly extreme but when you think about the financial pressures at home, you have no option but to keep working," said Abid Hussain, a 35-year-old laborer covered in soot. Workers like Hussain earn approximately $3 a day, a meager sum that barely covers basic needs, trapping them in cycles of debt and poor health.

I would describe these brick kilns as places of confinement.

— Syeda Ghulam FatimaGeneral Secretary of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan, commenting on the conditions.

Syeda Ghulam Fatima, General Secretary of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan, described the kilns as "places of confinement." She noted that workers face relentless heat from above and intense radiation from below. Labor advocates say the industry is poorly regulated and becoming increasingly dangerous as temperatures rise.

Workers endure relentless heat from the blazing sun overhead while the intense heat radiating from the kiln rises beneath them.

— Syeda Ghulam FatimaGeneral Secretary of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan, describing the dual heat exposure.

While the Punjab provincial government is exploring modern zigzag kiln technology to reduce pollution and hazards, many workers remain bound by advance payments. This debt makes it difficult to refuse work, even in dangerous conditions. "No matter the situation, whether we are ill or there are family matters, we still have to work," Hussain stated. "If I take time off, we'll be in trouble."

No matter the situation, whether we are ill or there are family matters, we still have to work. If I take time off, we'll be in trouble.

— Abid HussainA brickmaker explaining the financial pressures that compel him to work despite the conditions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog