After more than a week of sweltering heat, a squally wind accompanied by a brief spell of rain brought some relief to the city life in Dhaka on Tuesday. The photo of the rain respite was captured from the Chandrima Udyan area. Photo: Messenger
Since the beginning of Baisakh, people’s life has become miserable due to intense heat across the country. In addition to rising temperatures, severe heatwaves have added to human suffering. On Tuesday afternoon, some parts of the country, including Dhaka, received a little rain, but the heat level did not decrease much.
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, mild to moderate heatwaves are currently blowing over eight divisions of the country. The maximum temperature crossed 40 degrees Celsius.
People’s life across the country has become miserable due to intense heat. There is no end to the suffering of the working people.
According to the forecast of the Met office on Tuesday morning, a mild to moderate heatwave is sweeping Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions and this may continue for the next few days.
Besides, some parts of Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rangpur, and Sylhet divisions may experience gusty winds. However, there is no chance of much rain.
Meanwhile, Chuadanga recorded the highest temperature of the season and the country at 40.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday afternoon. At that time, the air humidity was 28 per cent. Besides, 38.8 degrees Celsius was recorded on Monday and 38.6 degrees on Sunday.
Before this, the people of this district were suffering from unbearable heat due to a continuous heatwave from the beginning of April. Due to the high amount of water vapour in the air, it feels unbearably hot. The Chuadanga First Class Meteorological Observatory said the temperature may rise further.
Jaminur Rahman, in-charge of Chuadanga First Class Meteorological Observatory, told The Daily Messenger, “Unbearable hot conditions will continue for a few more days. Due to insufficient rain this year, the average temperature rises in March and April. And as Chuadanga district is close to the Tropic of Cancer, the temperature is more than normal in March and April every year.”
According to the Meteorological department, a mild heatwave is from 36 degrees Celsius to 37.9 degrees Celsius, moderate heatwave from 38 degrees Celsius to 39.9 degrees Celsius, severe heatwave from 40 degrees Celsius to 41.9 degrees Celsius, and extreme heatwave above 42 degrees Celsius.
On Tuesday, the temperature of the capital, Dhaka, also increased slightly. Dhaka recorded a temperature of 38.4 degrees Celsius. It was 37.6 degrees Celsius on Monday. In the span of 24 hours, the temperature in the capital increased by 0.8 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, as the temperature increases, people are not going out unless there is a special need. Fever, cold, diarrhoea, heatstroke, and other diseases are increasing due to excessive heat. Doctors advise to take special care of children and the elderly. People working in this weather are in extreme trouble.
Rickshaw pullers are in more trouble in the scorching heat. Ashraf Hossain earns his livelihood by pulling rickshaws from Gulshan-1 to Banani. He said the throat becomes dry after hitting pedals twice.
“It is so hot that my head is spinning. But if the rent is not paid, the family will not survive,” he said.
Passengers traveling by public transports are also suffering in extreme heat. Many routes witnessed traffic jams on Tuesday as offices reopened after the holiday on Monday.
Buses are moving slowly on some routes. Passengers have to wait for long on some routes due to the public transport crisis. On many buses, fans do not work properly, forcing passengers to travel in hot weather.
Vendors in various small markets of the capital are also suffering in the intense heat. Even being under the fan all day, there is no relief. There is occasional load-shedding. Traders said sitting inside the market is becoming a hellish experience.
However, although there was a lot of sunshine since Tuesday morning, around 3:30 in the afternoon, clouds appeared in the sky of Dhaka suddenly and various areas became dark. It rained in some areas then. The residents of the capital got relief to some extent.
But there is no chance of the temperature going down, said Meteorologist Bazlur Rashid. He told The Daily Messenger, “The heatwave may continue in the country for the rest of this month. The temperature may fluctuate in some places. Even with occasional rains, the temperature is unlikely to return to normal.”
According to sources of the Meteorological department, the whole country, including the capital, was feeling very hot since Tuesday morning. The temperature in the capital till 3pm was the highest this year.
The Met office also said in the afternoon that there is very little chance of rain. Still, it rained and 8mm of rainfall was recorded in the capital.
However, the Meteorological department explained the reason for the sudden rain, with Bazlur saying, “There was really little chance of rain. Some clouds were predicted to move towards Sylhet from Mymensingh. But it rained in Dhaka.”
“A cloud formed locally in Dhaka. It happens quickly in many places at this time. So, it is quite difficult to predict. It was not captured in the models we had.”
Messenger/Disha
