Gig workers in South Asia are suffering health impacts from pollution - Rest of World
A t 9 on a cold January morning, Sami Iqbal got ready for work at his home in Lahore’s old quarter, a stone’s throw from the historic Badshahi Mosque. It was 6 degrees Celsius and the city was beginning to come alive — chai stalls in the vicinity pushed open their shutters and the doughy smell of flatbreads puffing up in iron skillets filled the air. Iqbal wrapped a muffler around his face before revving up his Honda motorbike to begin his day as a bike-taxi rider.
Iqbal is a self-employed gig worker who works across multiple ride-hailing apps, including Careem, Bykea, and inDrive. As he set off for his first job that day, the city was covered in a thick, poisonous smog. He drove through visible specks of reddish dust and other particulate matter, breathing through his muffler and trying to ignore the metallic, almost sulfurous stench permeating his nostrils.
“I’ve been ill for a week,” Iqbal told Rest of World, his voice hoarse. “It’s probably because of the smog. I’m on the road for so long.”
