Iron rods are an essential part of construction, and a ubiquitous sight in most cities, where they can be found lying on the side of a road or heaped dangerously high on top of a truck.

These rods are used in the construction of bridges and buildings, and the demand for them has led to the establishment of re-rolling steel mills in every city in Pakistan, and dealers can even be found in small towns.

Working at one of these re-rolling steel mills is laborious. Despite the introduction of new machines and technologies, labourers still work from morning to evening in front of a furnace.

The making of iron rods is a long process, and takes more than five steps. The profession employees various kinds of people, from engineering degree holders to uneducated labourers.

The first step is to put bars of iron, called billets, into a furnace with oil-lit burners heated to 1,030 degrees Celsius. The workers then remove the red-hot pieces of iron, and put them in modular mills to make 140 feet long iron rods.

Next, another group of workers cool the rods under the open sky and then cut them into 40 feet pieces. A third group then carries the rods, and ties six or seven pieces together with iron wire. Engineers then examine the strength of the rods, and separate them based on size and their capacity to bear loads. The rods are then loaded onto trucks to be delivered to construction sites.

An average day for workers at these mills begins at dawn and ends in the evening, with short breaks for lunch and for tea. After spending over two hours in front of the furnaces, the workers shower and take a break.

Mohammad Sajawal, who works at the mill, is 35 years old. He wakes up early in the morning and goes to the mill to earn a living for his family. “My work is difficult for others, but not to me, it’s my routine,” he said.

He said he works at the mill so that his family is comfortable. He added that all labourers work hard, including labourers who work outdoors and under the sun in the summer. Mr Sajawal added that large fans have been installed to cool down the area.

Waqar Ahmed, the quality engineer at Ittehand Re-rolling Mills, said machines have made the work easier for people, and helped to maintain the product’s quality.

He said a computerised system has also been installed to check the strength and size of the rods.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2016