“Hell” temperatures hit Asia. People in South and Southeast Asian countries have experienced record heat in the last week.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh experienced its highest temperature in almost 60 years in the past week. Hundreds of people even gathered in the capital Dhaka this week to pray for rain after temperatures reached 40.6 degrees Celsius, the highest recorded since the 1960s.
“They prayed for rain. They also prayed for relief from the temperature and protection from the heat wave,” local police chief Abul Kalam Azad told AFP.
India
Its neighbor, India, also experiences similar persistence. At least 13 people died of heatstroke on Sunday.
It comes as the country’s weather authority said northern and eastern parts of India experienced temperatures around three to four degrees Celsius above normal. Several residents also admitted to suffering from this.
“We are not used to this kind of heat,” said Urmila Das, a 42-year-old housewife in Guwahati city.
“Usually, we have rain in this part of the region from mid-March but there was no rain this year. It was very difficult,” he added, admitting he had not sent his children to school as a precaution.
Contract worker Sumu Bezbaruah also said the same thing. His day job, working outside mostly delivering supplies to stores, said the heat was incredible.
“It’s become very difficult to travel and deliver goods,” he said.
“I don’t remember seeing weather like this in the past,” he added.
Thailand
Thailand, too, is experiencing record heat. Two local residents even died.
Thailand’s Meteorological Department said on Wednesday that temperatures reached a record equivalent to 44.6 degrees Celsius in the western province of Tak on April 15. They warned that the hot weather would continue into next week.
Please note, Thailand usually experiences hotter weather before the rainy season. But the sun has shown extra intensity this time.
Why Happens?
According to scientists, this is the result of global warming which makes bad weather worse. A recent report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that any increase in global warming would intensify multiple and concurrent dangers.
“This year’s record heat in Thailand, China and South Asia is a clear climate trend and will cause public health challenges in the years to come,” said scientist Fahad Saeed, regional lead for climate policy institute Climate Analytics, citing CNA.
“The extreme heat we have seen over the past few days will hit the poor hardest,” said Saeed, who is based in Pakistan.
“It may even be life-threatening for those who do not have access to adequate refrigeration or shelter,” he stressed.
Source : CNBC
