Iraq, a country particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, is suffering today for the second consecutive day of a heat wave with temperatures climbing to 51 degrees Celsius, conditions that are difficult for many Iraqis who work outdoors.

The thermometer reached 50 degrees in the capital Baghdad yesterday and is expected to exceed that limit today, Amer al-Jabri, a spokesman for the Iraqi Meteorological Service, told AFP, referring to a “heat wave”.

“The highest temperatures will be observed (today) in the south with 51 degrees predicted for Samawa, Nasiriyah, Diwaniya and Najaf regions,” he noted.

In some provinces, such as that of De Carre (south), the authorities reduced the working hours of civil servants.

Temperatures are expected to ease slightly in the coming days, Jabri said, but the weather service is predicting “increased temperatures until the end of September.”

Many Iraqis cannot afford to install air conditioning in their homes. In the country, despite being rich in oil, the electricity grid is not functioning well and electricity is only available for a few hours each day due to lack of maintenance and capacity.

And those Iraqis who have to work outdoors speak of torture. Like Faleh Hassan, 41, who delivers electrical appliances and furniture on his back. “The heat is indescribable, but we are forced to work. We have no other job,” Hassan, a father of six, told AFP.

At an intersection in Baghdad, a traffic warden who wished to remain anonymous said he takes “three, four and sometimes five showers in a row” on his way home. “But I still feel like I’m in heat,” he said.

Iraq is currently experiencing its fourth consecutive year of drought resulting in very high temperatures and a lack of rainfall.

According to the United Nations, Iraq is one of the five countries most exposed to some of the effects of climate change.

“Temperatures are rising, drought and biodiversity loss are a reality. It is a warning to Iraq and the whole world,” Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said last week during his visit to Iraq.