True grit

It was 11:00am on Tuesday.

Drops of sweat trickled down Mohammad Shamim's forehead, as he stood resolutely at the Shahbagh intersection since 6:00am.

The air was heavy with heat, and the constant movement of vehicles with blaring horns made it difficult for anyone to stay there for more than a few minutes.

Yet Shamim, a traffic constable, remained steadfast in his duty, navigating the traffic under the blazing sun, and would have to stand there in this heat for another three hours, till 2:00pm.

"There is no scope to leave my position. If I divert my attention for even a moment, it creates a jam on the road," he said.

An umbrella and a police cap were the lone items available to ease the effects of the heatwave during Shamim's eight-hour shift.

During his shift, he can only take shelter for a few short moments in the nearby police box if a colleague takes his place.

A heatwave has been sweeping the nation for over a week, with temperatures as high as 42.6 degrees Celsius being recorded. According to the Meteorological Office, relief from these heat waves might not be coming anytime soon.

Not only Shamim, but some 3,500 police personnel working to maintain traffic in Dhaka city live through a similar scenario.

Around 1,800 traffic police personnel remain on the road in each of the two shifts -- from 6:00am to 2:00pm and 2:00pm to 10:00pm.

"An umbrella can only protect from the rain, not the scorching sun," said 52-year-old Rustom Ali, who serves his shift in Mohammadpur.

"My body can't take much more. I'm always soaked in sweat, and I often suffer from colds and headaches," Ali, who has been in the police force for 32 years, said.

"It is very tough to perform duties in the burning heat. My family is worried about me. But we have to do our duty despite the odds," he added.

In controlling traffic, around 250 Ansar members assist traffic police every day.

This correspondent spoke to at least 10 policemen and five Ansar members controlling traffic in Kataban, Shahbagh, Karwan Bazar, Bijoy Sarani, Mohammadpur, and Mirpur areas.

Their experiences reflected those of Shamim and Ali.

Preferring anonymity, a traffic sergeant said they have to perform duty for more than eight hours and there are no days off this week.

To ease the hardships faced by traffic police personnel, Dhaka Metropolitan Police provides glucose, water, and saline. Several Ansar members, however, said they do not receive those and instead share what is provided to the police personnel.

"We suffer as much as the police under the sun, but we are not provided with saline and glucose. Police personnel give saline or glucose from their portion," said an Ansar member preferring anonymity.

He said it is hard to even maintain their families with their salary. So buying saline and glucose on their own is something they cannot even consider.

Munibur Rahman, additional commissioner (traffic) of DMP, said traffic police and Ansar members are performing their duties amid the ongoing heatwave with dedication and professionalism.

"We instructed them to follow proper health guidelines considering the circumstances," he said.

Asked about the allegations of Ansar members, the city traffic police chief said it was not supposed to be like that and they are supposed to get the saline and glucose too.

"We will look into it," he said.