Relentless Heat Wave Scorches Bangladesh. Schools Shut, Roads Melt, 9 Deaths Reported

On Saturday, Jessore – which is located in southwest Bangladesh – recorded Bangladesh’s highest temperature this summer, at 42.6 degrees Celsius. Chuadanga saw a high of 42.3 degrees Celsius.

A rickshaw puller in Dhaka looks for some quick relief amid the heat wave in Bangladesh. ( Image Source :Sahidul Hasan Khokon )

Dhaka: A sweltering heat wave has left Bangladesh reeling, with met department forecasts saying no relief is likely soon. Temperatures are hovering over 40 degrees Celsius in several districts – the discomfort exacerbated by humidity. At least nine people, including a policeman, have died of suspected heat stroke, and schools and colleges have been closed.  The road pitch is melting in some districts, and there are reports of crop damage as well. Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen has ordered hospitals to be prepared to deal with emergency situations. 

On Saturday, Jessore – which is located in southwest Bangladesh and borders India – recorded the country’s highest temperature this summer, at 42.6 degrees Celsius. Chuadanga, which also borders India,  saw a high of 42.3 degrees Celsius the same day. Temperatures hit 42 degrees Celsius in Ishwardi, and 40.4 degrees Celsius in Dhaka on Saturday.

Temperatures of 40-41.9 degrees Celsius are categorised as a severe heat wave. Anything above 42 degrees Celsius qualifies as ‘severe burns’. 

Kazi Jebunnecha, assistant meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), told the media that temperatures may rise further, up to 44 degrees in certain parts.

The met department said temperatures are above 40 degrees in all the districts of Khulna division, with Rajshahi and Dhaka divisions also close.  

The summer of 2024 has begun on a worrying note across South Asia, with heat waves also reported in several parts of India.

A heat wave is described as a “period of abnormally high temperatures, more than the normal maximum temperature that occurs during the summer season”.

The extreme temperatures and resultant atmospheric conditions adversely affect people as they cause physiological stress, sometimes resulting in death, the National Disaster Management Authority notes on its website.

Human-induced climate change is believed to be a factor behind more intense and increasingly frequent heat waves.

Risk Of Water-Borne Diseases

One of the sectors most severely affected by the heat waves is education. After being closed for 26 consecutive days due to Ramadan, Eid, and Pohela Boishakh, schools and colleges were on April 20 ordered shut for another seven days. 

Meanwhile, the intense heat is bringing a growing number of patients to Dhaka’s hospitals. Patients suffering from acute diarrhoea have been flocking to the International Center for Diarrhoea Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) – the hospital said they had admitted 5,539 patients in 12 days due to diarrhoea, or an average of 462 patients per day.

Shoaib bin Islam, an assistant scientist at ICDDR, said the heat often forces people – especially those among the impoverished who spend most of the day outdoors – to drink unsafe water. 

“Apart from this, there is danger of typhoid and waterborne hepatitis, jaundice. Most of the patients we receive in the hospital are water-borne diarrhoea patients,” he added.

Dr Jahangir Alam, a paediatrician and director of Bangladesh Children’s Hospital, said the number of patients had been on the rise for some time due to the intense heat. 

“Children are reporting symptoms like sudden cold-fever, heat-related cold, cough, shortness of breath, dehydration, weakness, measles, mumps, stomachache, vomiting. Most of these patients have respiratory problems due to pneumonia,” he added.

Govt Takes Steps

Health and Family Welfare Minister Samanta Lal Sen has ordered hospitals across the country to be prepared for any situation arising out of the weather situation.  

At an online meeting with hospital directors and civil surgeons from across the country, he said, “Heat has reached extreme levels in different parts of the country. Hospitals across the country have been ordered to be prepared to deal with adverse conditions amid the intense heat wave and, at the same time, hospitals have been ordered not to admit non-emergency patients.”

Professor Md Robed Amin, director of the non-infectious-disease branch in the government’s Department of Health, said they are observing the weather conditions carefully.

“Emergency health conditions such as heat stroke may need to be dealt with. We have prepared a draft of national guidelines for that. Doctors across the country have started training in the use of these guidelines, i.e. treating heat stroke patients,” he added.

No Respite Soon

As the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) issued its three-day heat alert on Monday, it said “discomfort might increase due to moisture incursion”.

“Although there are some clouds over the country which have somewhat reduced the intensity of the heat, the heat wave is expected to intensify again from Tuesday,” the release said.