A historic heat wave has been ravaging South and Southeast Asia, especially in Bangladesh for several days. Heat very difficult to bear in a poor and overpopulated country, and with high humidity. And it should last for several more days.
Dhaka had never experienced such a temperature in nearly 60 years. The April monsoon is slow to arrive in Bangladesh and the country of 170 million inhabitants is therefore in full turmoil, reports our regional correspondent, Sebastien Farcis. The record heat, over 40 degrees in the capital, combined with the high humidity can prove fatal for humans. Few residences are air-conditioned. Employees therefore stay as long as possible in the office to stay cool, while most of the population, who live from small jobs outside, as street vendors or builders, suffer terribly.
It’s particularly hot in Dhaka. In this overcrowded urban monster of 20 million people, concrete has replaced trees and waterways, creating a massive heat island. During the day, many then find refuge in the mosques and sleep lying on the cool marble. The most devout even gathered by the hundreds on Monday, outdoors, to pray and beg for rain.
But Bangladesh is not the only one affected by this exceptional heat wave. In India, 13 people died of heatstroke during an outdoor ceremony in the west of the country on Sunday. Thailand deplores two deaths. The kingdom’s meteorological service said on Wednesday that temperatures hit a record high of 44.6 degrees Celsius in western Tak province on April 15, and warned the weather would continue into next week.
“ This year’s record heat in Thailand, China and South Asia is clearly a climate trend and will pose public health challenges for years to come. “Warned Fahad Saeed, a researcher at the Climate Analytics Institute, based in Pakistan, quoted by Agence France-Presse.
(And with AFP)