Workers struggle to cope with the heat in their boarding houses.

In mid-June, temperatures in Vinh Yen city continuously reached 37 - 38 degrees Celsius, causing the lives of thousands of workers living in cheap boarding houses to become stifling and oppressive. In cramped rooms, without air conditioning or insulation, workers have to struggle every day, every hour to cope with the scorching heat.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, from June 15, the Northern region entered a prolonged heat wave with high temperatures ranging from 36 - 38 degrees Celsius, in some places over 39 degrees Celsius. In Vinh Yen city, in recent days, the temperature fluctuated around 34 - 35 degrees Celsius during the day, low humidity made the feeling of heat even more uncomfortable.

Even at night, the temperature does not drop much, fluctuating around 29 - 30 degrees Celsius, sometimes above 30 degrees Celsius, the hot, stuffy air makes it difficult for many people to sleep, especially those living in temporary, cramped housing areas.

Recorded in Khai Quang ward, where the industrial park and many dormitories for workers are concentrated, on the hottest days, the heat seems to burn everything. In a rented room of about 15 square meters, with a low corrugated iron roof and a narrow entrance, Mr. Nguyen Van Minh, a worker at Khai Quang Industrial Park, is lying on the tiled floor, waving a paper fan in his hand to feel a little cooler because the electric fan is not enough to dispel the heat.

Mr. Minh shared: “The heat is so intense, it's 5 degrees outside and 10 degrees in my rented room. When I get home from work, I have to open all the doors to let the hot air out. The electric fan is on continuously but the wind still blows out hot air because the room is small and can't get rid of the air.

Many days I come home from work at night, want to take a nap at noon but can’t sleep, my body feels like it’s on fire. Last month I paid an extra electricity bill because the fan was turned on more but it still didn’t help with the sweltering heat. I’m tired after work but can’t rest when I get home, it’s so frustrating.”

Narrow, damp dormitories with corrugated iron or cement roofs create a stuffy feeling, making it more difficult for many workers to struggle on hot days.

The entire boarding house where Mr. Minh lives has 8 rooms, most of which do not have air conditioning, only using standing fans or wall fans. The thin walls and heat-absorbing corrugated iron roofs make the temperature in the room at noon always higher than outside. Last month, many families bought more fans to help avoid the heat, but it still did not improve much.

Sharing the same situation as Mr. Minh, Ms. Hong, a worker at Khai Quang Industrial Park, said that in recent days, her whole family has not had a good night's sleep. Ms. Hong said: "My family has 3 people, 2 husband, wife and a small child. Because of difficult economic conditions, we rented a small room in a boarding house for low-income workers.

The room was only 20 square meters and had only one window, plus the heat from the burning metal roof poured down, making the room scorching hot. After work, I was tired and sometimes wanted to rest but couldn't sleep because it was so hot.

The heat is unbearable for adults, let alone children. My child is often lethargic, has no appetite, and cannot sleep because the weather is too hot. My husband and I have tried to save money and bought an additional steam fan, but it still cannot reduce the heat in the cramped room.

Not only in daily life, cooking in hot weather conditions also becomes a "torture", the kitchen is located in small rented rooms, when cooking, the heat from the kitchen combined with the heat from the roof of the rented houses makes the air even more stuffy.

Small rooms, no heat insulation, and lack of facilities make it even harder for workers to make a living.

To cope with the heat, many workers have tried all kinds of ways to reduce the heat such as bathing or wiping their bodies frequently, buying ice to put in a basin and placing it in front of a fan to create cool air, or "tightening their belts" and trying to buy their families steam fans and air conditioners to reduce the heat, serve their daily life and ensure their family's health.

Article and photos: Huyen Linh

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/129931/Nguoi-lao-dong-chat-vat-chong-nong-trong-cac-khu-nha-tro