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Fasting a challenge under blazing sun
With the hottest days of summer upon us, Ramadan is proving to be a challenge for some of those observing the daily fast from dawn to dusk.
Meanwhile, some are avoiding the heat altogether by staying indoors.
According to the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), the mercury reached 49.3 degree Celsius in Sharjah on Wednesday and 47.4 degree Celsius in Dubai.
On Thursday, it was 46 degree Celsius in Dubai and 47.3 degree Celsius in Sharjah.
“End of July and early August is the hottest time of the year, the temperature can reach 50 degree Celsius,” said Sufian Farrah, a meteorologist with the NCMS. These hot temperatures aren’t breaking any records, but are the norm this time of the year, Farrah said.
With no relief in sight, Mohamed Yahya says he avoids the heat when he’s fasting for nearly 14 hours a day.
“It’s much hotter this year but it doesn’t really affect my fasting ability because I’m indoor most of the time,” said Yahya, an engineer.
“You just walk from your car to the house, you don’t feel it; we have the luxury of air-conditioned houses, air-conditioned malls.” Yahya said it was shocking to see the temperature at 44.5 degree Celsius at 8.40pm on Wednesday.
“The last time I saw the temperature that high so late in the evening was in Sudan,” he said.
Mohamed Ajwad says he has no choice but to fast and work in the heat. His job as an air-condition technician involves working outside not only in the heat of the day, but also around the heat produced by the air-conditioning units.
“During Ramadan, the fasting time is very difficult,” he says.
Ajwad says he has fallen sick twice during Ramadan. In one case, he was troubleshooting an air-conditioning unit outside without covering his head. “I fell sick that night, I had a fever for three days,” Ajwad said.
But Dr Mohamad Asmi, a cardiologist at Al Garhoud Private Hospital in Dubai, says if you’re fasting and working outdoors, it’s important to cover you head, preferably with a cloth drenched in cool water.
“Dehydration seems to be the biggest problem when you’re fasting,” Asmi said. He notes that if working outside becomes too much of a burden while fasting, it’s alright to break your fast instead of facing the deadly consequences, which entail heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
“Fasting is not supposed to be a punishment. You can compensate for it later, so if someone is working outdoors for long hours in this heat, they don’t have to fast,” he said.
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