Date season arrives in July, when temperatures in Sindh regularly hit the mid-40 degrees Celsius. Workers start before sunrise, and split the day into short shifts, but the heat soon catches up with them. Their gruelling routine involves harvesting and boiling fruit picked from palms that line Khairpur district, which produces more than half the country's dates and supports thousands of farmers and seasonal labourers.
Date season arrives in July, when temperatures in Sindh regularly hit the mid-40 degrees Celsius © Aamir QURESHI / AFP
Idrees, who has worked the date harvest for more than a decade, said the heat has now become "unbearable."Date labourers are one of many professions in agriculturally-dependent Pakistan that are becoming more difficult and dangerous as temperatures rise."It used to be less intense," Idrees told AFP as temperatures hit 42C.Now "the heat is much harsher and the days are extremely hot. We fall ill because of it." Multiple workers told AFP they often suffer heatstroke, fainting and fever."When the heat makes us sick, we go to the doctor for treatment and then return to work," Idrees added.
Date labourers are one of many professions in Pakistan that are becoming more difficult and dangerous as temperatures rise © Aamir QURESHI / AFP
