It’s not even 11am and the temperature has already climbed into the 30s (over 85°F). Looking across the baking expanse of Châtelet square in the heart of Paris on Tuesday, the city is almost unrecognisable. The crowds have melted away. Instead, the empty square gives off a suffocating stillness, as though the city has folded in on itself and sought shelter in its own shade. The streets and cafés are nearly deserted. Only a street-cleaner doggedly carries out his work like the last living witness of the city’s lost rhythm, broken by the weight of the heatwave.
Abdelkrim, a Paris street-cleaner. © Hamza Habhoub, FRANCE 24
Now in his 60s, Abdelkrim has already been working for hours as the sun creeps higher in the sky. “We started work at five o’clock in the morning to try and get some of our tasks done before the temperatures rose even further,” he said, taking a few moments to catch his breath in the shade. “It’s expected to reach 37°C today. The longer the day goes on, the harder and more gruelling the work becomes.” Hostile work environment In an age where some people can work in air-conditioned offices or leave the sweltering city to work remotely until the heatwave passes, others have no choice but to keep working under worsening conditions. For them, the summer heat is not a passing cause for complaint but a daily ordeal that puts their bodies at risk.
