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Outdoor workers at risk amid scorching heat
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An ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver (left) sleeps on his vehicle beside election campaign posters in Jakarta on Jan. 24, 2024, as another driver rides past. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
I
ndonesia has been experiencing notably hot weather over the past few weeks, putting people who work outdoors at heightened risk of heat stroke and other health issues, but the country’s meteorology service says the weather does not constitute a heat wave.
Sofyan, an employee of the Jakarta Public Facility Maintenance Agency (PPSU), was drenched in sweat on Thursday as he cleaned up trash around Sudirman Station in Central Jakarta.
As part of the city’s so-called “orange troop” of sanitation workers, a reference to the color of their uniforms, Sofyan is used to working in the heat and sun, as his shift starts at 1 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.
“But, I don’t know why, it has been really hot these past few days,” the 38-year-old told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. “My body has even started to feel itchy because of the heat.”
That heat has lingered for weeks. According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Greater Jakarta recorded a high of 37.2 degrees Celsius on April 17 in Ciputat district of South Tangerang, Banten.
Meanwhile, the average temperature for the rest of the country hovered between 34 and 36 degrees Celsius, the BMKG added.
Read also: Heatwave swells Asia's appetite for air-conditioning
