Country scorches in record heat

Amidst an ongoing heatwave, the country continued to swelter as Chuadanga district recorded the season’s highest temperature of 43 degrees Celsius on Monday.

The district recorded the second-highest temperature in Bangladesh’s history, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD).

On 21 May 2014, Chuadanga recorded 43.2 degrees Celsius temperature.

Earlier on 17 April 2023, 43 degrees Celsius temperature was recorded in Ishwardi in Pabna.

The same temperature was also recorded in 1995 and 2002.

The highest recorded temperature since independence was 45.1 degrees Celsius on 18 May 1972.

The temperature of the capital city of Dhaka was recorded at 40.3 degrees Celsius on Monday.

Last year, the highest temperature in the capital was recorded at 40.6 degrees Celsius on 16 April. In April 1965, the mercury hit 42 degrees Celsius in Dhaka, and in 1960, it reached a record 42.3 degrees Celsius.

The temperature in the capital reached 40.6 degrees Celsius on 20 April, which was the second-highest in the city since 1960. Earlier, 40.6 degrees Celsius temperature was recorded in Dhaka on 24 April 2023 and 40.2 degrees Celsius in 2014.

The highest temperature recorded in Dhaka so far was 42.3 degrees Celsius on 30 April 1960.

Amid the stifling temperatures, city-dwellers opted to stay indoors during the daytime. They also tried to avoid sunbeams and used proper protection like sunglasses, umbrellas and caps while going out in the heat of the day.

However, power outages in villages have multiplied the suffering of the people living in rural areas.

The searing heat of the subtropical climate has been affecting the vast swathes of the country, resulting in heat-related sickness and prompting people to get admitted into hospitals.

A “very severe” heat wave is sweeping over the districts of Jashore and Rajshahi and a “severe” heatwave is sweeping over the remaining parts of the Khulna division and the districts of Tangail, Faridpur, Gopalgonj, Naogaon, Pabna and Nilphamari, according to the BMD.

“Mild” to “moderate” heatwaves are sweeping over the Barishal division and the other parts of the Dhaka, Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions and the districts of Mymensingh, Moulvibazar, Rangamati, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni and Bandarban. These are likely to continue.

The day temperature may rise slightly and night temperatures may remain nearly unchanged across the country on Monday, according to the BMD.

Talking about the ongoing hot wave, Professor Dr Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, chairman of the Department of Environment at Stamford University and chairman of the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies, said long-term environmental degradations at global, regional and local levels along with the passing heatwave are causing the current brutal heat situation.

Rising urban temperatures are a global concern, which is not just a concern of Bangladesh alone, he added.