Dhaka, Apr 29 (EFE).- Schools were partially closed in Bangladesh on Monday, a day after they were reopened following a week of closure amid the longest-ever heat wave in the country.
The education ministry announced the one-day closure of schools in five districts, including the capital Dhaka, following reports of students falling sick after their return to school on Sunday.
A decision will be taken about further extending the closure after reviewing the weather report, ministry spokesperson Mohammad Abul Khair told EFE.
The severe heat wave killed at least 62 people between Apr. 19 and 28, according to the non-profit, Foundation for Disaster Forum.
“We saw reports of some 30 students falling sick in one district on Sunday. Two teachers also died of heat stroke on Sunday, though none were in the classroom,” said Meherunnisa Jhumur, an official of the NGO.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) recorded temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius in at least 14 of the country’s 64 districts.
Meteorologists consider temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius to be a condition for a severe heat wave.
The BMD extended its heat wave alert until Tuesday.
BMD meteorologist Kazi Jebunissa told EFE that this has been the longest heat wave in the country’s history.
“We have had data since 1948. The heat wave never lasted this long. This year, it started on Mar 31 and continued,” she said.
“We had a 23-day long heat wave in 1992. Last year, the heat wave continued for 30 days, but only at one station. This time we are seeing a heat wave in much wider areas than in any of the previous years,” Jebunissa added.
Millions are living in extreme heat in sprawling slums without access to adequate water and electricity in the Bangladeshi capital and other cities across the country.
The World Meteorological Organization said in a report last week that the impact of heat waves has become more severe in Asia, including Bangladesh, due to the effects of climate change.
Asia is warming faster than the global average, and this trend has nearly doubled since the 1961-1990 period, it said.
Bangladesh recorded 520,758 deaths from 281 natural disasters between 1970 and 2021, the highest in Asia, according to the WMO. EFE
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