Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has issued a heat alert as mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping four divisions, and it may continue and intensity further. An increase of moisture incursion makes the people feel uncomfortable, according to Met Office.
Day temperature is rising slightly and night temperature remains nearly unchanged over the country. Country’s maximum temperature of 38.7 degrees Celsius was recorded at Chuadanga on Wednesday.
The people, who are fasting, are suffering a lot due to scorching heat. Prolonged dry spell is also causing misery for the country’s people.
Dry weather condition is likely to continue for the next couple of days as no rainfall is in sight. The elderly, infants and young children, outdoor workers, and those with chronic medical conditions are worst-sufferers.
Even many people are complaining of headache, cough, diarrhoea and fever. It is becoming really unbearable even with air-conditioners failing to provide comfort from heat in capital Dhaka.
Intense heat and high humidity are disrupting the life as people fall ill or show reluctance to go out of home in sweltering heat. In the capital, fares for rickshaws, vans and pushcarts are on the rise due to unbearable working conditions.
Country’s maximum temperature
of 38.7 degrees Celsius was
recorded at Chuadanga on Wednesday
Acute water crisis hits many areas in capital Dhaka, other metropolitan cities, district towns and even remote villages. Temperature was relatively higher in the western, northern and central regions of the country than the southern and eastern regions. The heat wave causes sufferings to working-class people like day-labourers, rickshaw-pullers and farmers, especially those who work outdoor. On the other hand, sales of seasonal fruits, iced juices, and ice-cream have also gone up due to high demand and salespersons are also taking advantage of the situation, hiking the prices of these products especially during Iftar time.
But many people who were not fasting were seen drinking various unsafe colourful drinks from roadside vendors amid the scorching summer heat, risking being infected by different diseases as these drinks are made of substandard ingredients and served in unhygienic ways. Physicians warn that such contaminated juice or drink can cause various diseases like diarrhoea, jaundice, typhoid, cholera, and paratyphoid.
Therefore, people should refrain from drinking such contaminated drinks and not leave their homes unless there is an emergency. Heat wave can have a significant impact on people, including a rise in heat-related deaths.
Population exposure to heat is increasing due to climate change, WHO says, adding that globally extreme temperature events are observed to be increasing in their frequency, duration, and magnitude. While the effects of heat may be exacerbated in cities, due to urban heat island effect, the livelihoods and wellbeing of non-urban communities can also be severely disrupted during and after periods of unusually hot weather. All have to remain extra cautious against the current hot spell and avoid the scorching heat.
