Bangladesh reels under longest heat wave in 76 years

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh experienced its longest heat wave in recorded history this April with forecasts showing no improvement for the rest of the month, according to meteorologists.

Md. Bazlur Rashid, a meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, told Anadolu that heat waves swept across the entire country for 27 days straight until Saturday.

“According to the data available since 1948, this month (April) has already seen records of heat wave days in a single year,” he added.

This year, for the first time, nearly 75% of the country has experienced continuous heat waves.

The closest example of such extreme heat was recorded in 2014 when the country saw 25 days of heat wave, Rashid added.

The Met Office weather forecast said Saturday that a very severe heat wave was sweeping over mid-west, west, and central Bangladesh, while the rest of the country was seeing severe to mild heat waves.

“Climate change is among the major causes of the extreme weather,” said Rashid, adding that the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka has become a tough place to live in during summer, due to declining greenery and water bodies.

Meanwhile, a season-high temperature of 42.7C (108.9F) was recorded in Chuadanga on Friday.

A recent study by the Met Office showed that both the minimum and maximum temperatures in the country are increasing, with the maximum temperature increasing rapidly.

The extreme weather conditions have disrupted people’s lives and livelihoods, especially for low-income groups, in the South Asian nation of 170 million.

In the second week of April, the country was forced to shut schools and educational institutions for a week due to the scorching heat wave.