Bangladesh is experiencing extreme heat wave causing severe discomfort both indoors and outdoors. The boiling hot weather is also causing record high temperatures.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has said that the heatwave will continue as rain is unlikely very soon. As a result, the suffering of people is likely to continue for a few more days.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is monitoring the abnormal high temperature. If such an unprecedented heatwave prevails in the country, an inter-ministerial meeting will be held to take necessary decisions in this regard. experience
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin said that they are monitoring the situation. If the situation continues for another day or two, they will hold an inter-ministerial meeting. He said that the temperature seems to be very high this time. It is the highest in 58 years.
Talking to Bangladesh Post on Sunday, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, chairman of Department of Environmental Science at Stamford University said that such hot weather is scientifically called disaster weather. In many countries, state-alert is issued in such a situation. It is announced that no one should leave the house unless necessary.
This is not practiced in Bangladesh. The government helps people in cold, natural disasters or floods. In such a heat, government grants are necessary for the affected people, he added.
Prof. Kamruzzaman Majumder, who is also an expert on air pollution said that there are some reasons behind the unprecedented heatwave that is going on in the country. Air pollution is one of the reasons.
Amid the severe heatwave, the capital city on Sunday recorded its highest temperature in decades with the mercury soaring to 40.5 degrees Celsius.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) put Dhaka’s temperature at 40.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday, which was the highest in 58 years.
Amid the week-long heatwave, people in different parts of the country who work outdoors, especially day labourers, rickshaw pullers and farmers, are finding it challenging to continue working under the intense heat of the sun. The people who are in jails also face suffering from the heatwave.
In such a situation, the jail authorities are taking initiative to protect inmates from the heatwave. The jail authorities are keeping them under the shade of the trees inside the jail grounds for the majority of the daytime.
Additionally, oral saline is given to the prisoners in case they get sick. The jail administration has increased the water supply to the jails and inmates are also permitted to bathe more frequently.
Shahjahan Ahmed, senior jail super at Kashimpur Central Jail (Part 1) said that the electric fans inside the cells are working fine. But the inmates complained that the fans were blowing hot air, so they took the extra precautions.
Despite the fact that the heatwave had little to no significant effects on inmates’ health, there are now more people with cold-related illnesses like fever and cough being treated in jail hospitals.
Mahmudul Hasan Shuvo, chief medical officer at Dhaka Central Jail said that they used to receive between 400 and 450 patients daily earlier. However, following the heatwave, they are now seeing 550 to 600 patients daily.
The doctor explained that the main psychological issues that these patients were experiencing were related to excessive sweating brought on by the heatwave.
Md Main Uddin Bhuiyan, assistant inspector general (admin) of the Prisons headquarters, told media that all prisons across the country have been instructed to fix the fans so that inmates don’t experience any issues. There is currently nothing to worry about and the situations are still under control, he added.
Meanwhile, the asphalt in roads in different parts of the country starts to melt due to the high temperature, increasing the risk of people moving. Asphalt in some roads in Barishal and Chuadanga melted for extreme heat.
Although Chuandanga’s temperature lowered to 41.8 degree Celsius on Sunday from Saturday’s 42.2 degree Celsius, it was still the highest across the country. Jashore also recorded the same temperature.
Chuadanga faces higher temperatures mainly due to geographical location. Meteorologists said that April is the hottest month in Bangladesh. At this time, the earth receives rays from the sun vertically. Due to the Earth’s position in the orbit around the sun, Bangladesh is the closest country to receive sunlight.
Simply put, the position of Bangladesh from the sun in April is the closest as compared to other times. That is why the heat of the sun is high in this region at this time.
Kamrul Hasan, a meteorologist said that Jashore, Chuadanga, Meherpur and Khulna region has vast plains. To the west of this region lies West Bengal. The region also has large plains. Due to the presence of the plains, heat flows in the region by means of transport. The result is direct heat and higher temperatures.
The second reason for the heat in this region is that the western ghats of the Bay of Bengal are Khulna, Chuadanga region. The Bay of Bengal is the source of water vapour. As water vapour enters through this area, the amount of water vapour is higher here than in other areas. So, the temperature is also high.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Chuadanga Aminul Islam Khan told media that all the upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) of the district have been instructed to do micing everywhere in the district so that the people should not leave their houses unless absolutely necessary.
Fasting people are advised to take more juice, water and fruits after the evening. The Sadar Hospital authorities have been instructed to make special arrangements for the treatment of heat-related patients including stroke and diarrhea.
