Photo: Messenger
Two individuals succumbed to heatstroke in Chuadanga and Pabna districts respectively on Saturday, adding to the toll of casualties as the country grapples with a prolonged heatwave.
The deceased were identified as Jakir Hossain, 33, son of Amir Hossain of Thakurpur village under Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga and Sukumar Das, 60, a resident of Shalgaria Jakir Moar in Pabna district town.
Amir Hossain said his son Jakir went to a cropland to irrigate in the village in the morning. After around one hour, they came to know that Jakir fell sick due to the heat.
Later, he breathed his last on the way to Damurhuda Upazila Health Complex, said the father.
The health complex's Resident Medical Officer D Mohibullah said they heard that a farmer died from the heat stroke while working in the cropland.
Pabna General Hospital's on-duty physician Dr Zahedul Islam said Sukumar suddenly fell sick amid the scorching heat while taking tea at a tea stall in the city's Rupkotha Moar at noon.
Later, locals rushed him to the hospital where physicians declared him dead upon arrival, he said.
On the other hand, Chuadanga recorded the season's highest temperature at 42.3 degree Celsius on Saturday afternoon.
Tahmina Nasrin, weather observer at Chuadanga First Class Meteorological Observatory, said after a continuous intense heat wave, the temperature has increased further and a very severe heat wave has started.
The heat wave is going on because there is no rain. If it rains, the temperature will drop considerably, she said, adding that there is no rain forecast for now. However, if there is a storm, it may rain with it.
Moreover, the season's highest 41.6 degree Celsius temperature was recorded in Pabna's Ishwardi on Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the country's highest temperature has been recorded at 42.6 degrees Celsius in Jashore, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department. The highest temperature in the capital Dhaka has been recorded at 40.4 degrees Celsius in this season. Sources at the meteorological department, there is little possibility that the temperature will fall in the next two days.
Mild to moderate heat wave begins at different places in the country since the beginning of April. Afterwards, the temperature starts rising. Afterwards, the intense heat wave sweeps over different places in the country since 15 April.
When the temperature is 36 to 37.9 degrees Celsius is called mild heat wave while temperature 38 to 39.9 is called moderate heatwave, temperature 40 to 41.9 is called intense heatwave and temperature 42 degrees and above is called extreme intense heatwave. Like Jashore, extreme intense temperature was recorded at 42.3 in Chuadanga.
In another development, amidst the scorching heat, affiliated colleges of the National University have been directed to suspend classes until further notice. The National University relayed this decision via a press release issued on Saturday, citing the severe heatwave as the reason behind the closure.
This announcement follows the government's earlier decision to extend pre-scheduled holidays for schools and colleges nationwide due to the relentless heatwave. Additionally, in response to the ongoing extreme weather conditions, the Ministry of Education has ordered the temporary closure of government primary schools.
Messenger/Disha
