Dwarka: While there are many pleasures to Summer, the season also comes with seasonal illnesses, dehydration, dust, and sweat. It becomes very difficult to stay outside of our home in summer. We can choose to stay in the comfort of our homes, but what about those who work outside the whole day to earn a living. CitySpidey reached out to street vendors of Dwarka to know about how they are dealing with the heatwaves.
They say not everyone who sells happiness, gets a taste of it. The same could be said for Mukesh Kumar, an ice-cream seller in the Dwarka sector 9,
"The Summer season helps me with my earnings but it's not good for my health and I'm facing lots of problems because of that. I have a problem with my sinus and these heatwaves are making this worse. Being out in the sun is not an easy job but I can't skip a day because it will directly affect my children and the needs of my family."
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Ramesh Chaudhary, balloon and toy seller, Dwarka sector-8 says,
"It is very difficult to stay outside the whole day but it would be more difficult to stay hungry. I have two kids and I don't want them to have the same future as me. They are studying in a government school and both of them are very intelligent, I want them to graduate and do a respectable job."
He further adds, "I and my wife are giving our 1000% to fulfil the needs of our children. Yes, working in this much heat is causing many problems such as fever and eye infection. Last week, my wife suffered from the problem of dehydration and for almost one week she couldn't get up from the bed. No matter what season, we need to work hard to bring food to the table."
Lakhmeer Chand, the flower seller of Dwarka sector-23, says with a heavy heart,
"We don't shut our shop easily even when we are not feeling well, because some people need flowers daily for pooja, temples, and occasions. Heatwaves are creating lots of problems for us because of sweat and dust. I'm suffering from a skin allergy, my left hand has swollen because of itching".
Rambeer Chand, brother of Lakhmeer, says, "I come here daily to help my brother. These heatwaves are affecting our work and causing health problems. Flowers need extra care in summer and because of the heat, it's difficult to keep them the fresh whole day. Just last month, we faced a loss of almost 22-25k as the flowers became stale. I don't know what is the solution to this problem. I just know we have to endure it."
Yogesh Kumar, a delivery executive with Zomato says, "Heatwaves create lots of hurdles for us but we have to deliver the food, it's our duty. I am the only child of my parents and I need to take care of everything, from their medicines to the basic needs of my family. My mother is a diabetic patient and her medicines and checkup needs to be taken care of regularly. The heatwaves are definitely a challenge for me but they can't stop me. A few days back, I was down with fever and headache so, I took an off for 4 days but had to face loss in my salary."