Suleiman Salem, a Saudi newscaster for Channel 1, witnessed firsthand the ordeal of workers queuing up in front of their embassies under the sweltering heat to legalize their work status.

He then went to a branded coffee shop nearby and asked the staff for 200 bottles of cold mineral water, which he distributed to workers at the Philippine, Pakistani and Indian Embassies.

The long lines of workers queuing out embassies at the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) in Riyadh have since dispersed with the exception of one South Asian country supplying manpower to the Kingdom.

Yet there remain many workers who are still in the process of legalizing their status and are exposed to high temperatures, which hit 41 degree Celsius by 1 p.m. yesterday.

“When I saw the long line of workers being exposed to the relentless heat of the sun, I felt compelled to help out. It’s like a cauldron out there,” he said, pointing to one of the embassies.

“It was only water that I gave out but they seemed to have been disarmed, as it were, by my humane gesture; I could see happiness and gratitude written all over their faces,” he said.

He said that he has been doing this at least twice a week since the grace period for legalization or deportation was announced.

“I plan to go back to the Diplomatic Quarter again and distribute water as widely as needed,” he said.

He said that his humane gesture is part of his advocacy activity as a member of 13 different Saudi organizations rendering services to those in need. “It is also part of my job as a broadcast journalist. My profession involves public service,” he said.