Some 32 Nepalese expatriate workers in Qatar died in July – most of them young men working on construction sites, according to a Nepalese embassy official.
Speaking to Doha News, Nepal’s Second Secretary Harihar Kant said that the record number of deaths reported was due partly to construction workers in their 20s dying from cardiovascular diseases on sites.
Kant said: “Many workers are going without meals, and without enough water, then they are working in high temperatures all day. The weather here is different from our country. Our nationals are not used to it.”
He confirmed a recent report which stated that 13 labourers had died from cardiovascular disorders on building sites last month, with a further eight deaths attributed to falls or other on-site accidents. The remaining 11 workers died in road traffic incidents.
He added, however, that some of the deaths recorded as cardiovascular incidents could cover-up other accidents, stating that there were cases where doctors have submitted false reports as “it is easier for a company to say they died of that”.
Qatar is becoming increasingly reliant on Nepalese labour as it becomes a less attractive destination for workers from other parts of the Indian sub-continent.
The Nepalese Embassy has said that in the year to July 15, some 90,000 Nepalese workers have arrived in Qatar.