JEDDAH: Madinah workers who have resumed normal work following the end of the Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr holidays, have been complaining of extreme heat over the past three days.

Zaheer Ahmed, a project manager of construction work in Madinah, said workers have refused to work due to extreme heat, especially during Duhr time.

Day time construction work at different sites has come to a halt over the last three days. Workers came in the morning at 10 but couldn’t continue their work because of the unbearable heat. “In fact, we worked in extreme temperatures during Ramadan, but now it is becoming impossible to bear the heat and work,” said Ahmed.

Another worker, Mahmood Ghabra, said that outside temperatures are so high that the workers are scared of falling victim to sunburns.

“Feeling very thirsty and hot during day time especially in the past three days, most of the workers left to rest 11 a.m. onward and refused to do any work exposed to the sun. Even evening temperatures are so high that they make the people sweat as soon as they venture out,” he said wondering how anyone can be forced to work.

Arab News checked the Presidency of Metrology and Environment (PME) website, which shows 45 C and 37 C as Madinah’s maximum and minimum temperatures.

Talal Al-Zahrani, a weatherman at PME, said: “Madinah’s temperatures are fluctuating. Though they rose to 45 C in the afternoon, the workers felt it as though it was 50 C because of the direct sunrays and dry weather. This had also turned the atmosphere hazy and resulted in low visibility.”