Coping with hellish heat wave

A severe heat wave now sweeping across the country has made life miserable. The latest update from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department  offers little hope of respite and paints a foreboding picture of weather conditions across various regions. Khulna division together with Rajshahi, Pabna, and Tangail districts are currently grappling with a severe heat wave and the forecast is that the sizzling heat will persist until the end of the current month. Jessore experienced the country's highest temperature at 42.6°C on Saturday last. Except for Sylhet, most part of the country is now reeling from scorching heat. With one-fifth of normal average rainfall, April has turned out to be 'the cruellest month'.

A combination of natural and human-induced factors has virtually turned Dhaka city into a sizzling frying pan. Vanishing greenery and water bodies, unplanned urbanisation, industrialisation and communication systems are contributing to the rise in Dhaka's temperature. Its metalled roads and high-rise buildings heat up during the day and retain heat until late into the evening. Extensive use of glass in windows, doors and walls, and air conditioning in multi-storied buildings also play a significant role in this. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of vehicles plying on the city roads remain stuck for hours in traffic jams with their engines running and releasing even more heat to the existing woeful city environment.

Recently, a report entitled 'Hot Cities, Chilled Economies: Impacts of Extreme Heat on Global Cities' by the US-based Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center calculated that Dhaka is losing six billion US dollars every year due to high temperatures as labour productivity of residents is being badly affected. This productivity loss could exceed US$ 84 billion by 2050 if the issue of rising temperature is not properly addressed. Extreme rise in temperature is also contributing to the rise in various illnesses such as fever, colds, coughs, and diarrhoea. Elderly individuals are particularly vulnerable to heatstroke. Hospitals are now witnessing a rush of patients seeking treatment for these ailments. Moreover, the spell of searing heat could also badly impact crop, vegetable, and fruit yields. It is also straining the country's energy sector, as the demand for electricity and water has gone up. The authorities need to ensure uninterrupted supply of both water and electricity to mitigate the sufferings of people grappling with intense heat, while the consumers must use the limited resources prudently.

As Bangladesh cannot simply wish away heat waves, which is attributed to global warming and a host of other human-induced factors, the nation as a whole must learn to adapt. This adjustment will require innovative strategies and resilience-building measures. The government decided to close primary and secondary schools for seven days from April 21 to April 27. Doctors are emphasising the need for taking precautions to cope with the intense heat, urging people to minimise unnecessary outdoor activities, dress in cool clothing, and stay well hydrated.  These short-term emergency measures to cope with the rising temperature, however, will not suffice in the long run. A recent study warned if the root causes of the intensifying heat wave remain unaddressed, venturing outdoors could become deadly by the end of this century across vast areas of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. A concerted local, regional, and global effort must be made before it is too late.