Heat alert extended for 3 more days in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has extended the heat alert that the ongoing heatwave is likely to persist for 72 more hours starting Sunday morning, reported Xinhua.

The announcement follows earlier alerts issued on April 19, April 22, and April 25, as the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) continues to monitor and respond to the challenging weather patterns affecting most parts of Bangladesh.

BMD cited increased moisture incursion as a factor contributing to the sustained uncomfortable conditions due to the scorching temperatures which touched highs of 42 degrees Celsius in parts of the country this month.

On Sunday, Omar Faruk, a meteorologist who works at the Storm Warning Centre of the BMD, told Xinhua that Bangladesh's highest temperature was recorded at 42.2 degrees at Jashore district, some 164 km southwest of capital Dhaka.

In Dhaka, he said, the temperature rose to 39 degrees Celsius Sunday.

The heat started in early April and continues to leave the people gasping in whatever shade they find in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country. Millions of people are at risk of heat-related impacts in the country, experts have warned, linking the early onset of an intense summer to climate change.

To cope with the unbearable heat, the government kept all schools, colleges, madrasas and technical education institutions across the country closed from April 21 to April 27.

Experts said the heatwaves would likely escalate in the coming years due to erratic rainfall and high temperatures, posing a threat to Bangladesh, one of the biggest victims of global warming.