26-4-2024 (BANGKOK) Millions across South and Southeast Asia are enduring a relentless onslaught of scorching temperatures, as an exceptionally severe heatwave continues to engulf the region. The unforgiving conditions have disrupted daily life, prompting school closures and heightening concerns over the escalating consequences of global climate change.
In Bangladesh, where temperatures have soared beyond 42°C (107.6°F) in recent days, thousands have flocked to mosques and open fields, fervently praying for respite from the sweltering heat. Bangladeshi authorities announced the closure of schools nationwide this week, as few educational institutions boast air conditioning capable of mitigating the oppressive conditions.
For 13-year-old Mohua Akter Nur, the heat has rendered her Dhaka home virtually uninhabitable, hampering her studies despite the school shutdown. “The heat is intolerable. Our school is shut, but I can’t study at home. The electric fan does not cool us,” she lamented, echoing the plight of millions across the densely populated nation.
The heatwave has also triggered a diarrhoea outbreak in southern Bangladesh, where increased salinity levels in water sources, exacerbated by higher temperatures, have compromised public health.
Across the border, the Philippines is grappling with a severe drought that has unveiled a centuries-old settlement submerged by the construction of the Pantabangan Dam in the 1970s. As water levels plummet to unprecedented lows, remnants of a church, municipal hall, and tombstones have resurfaced, drawing tourists even as the region withers under extreme heat.
LOOK: Remnants of an old town of Pantabangan in Nueva Ecija have emerged as water levels in the dam dropped due to the El Niño phenomenon.
The 300-year-old town was submerged in the 1970s to make way for the construction of the Pantabangan Dam. ???? Cris Sansano/Facebook pic.twitter.com/h9ewmkhGbu
— Daily Guardian (@dailyguardianph) April 21, 2024
“This is the longest time (it was visible) based on my experience,” said Marlon Paladin, a supervising engineer for the National Irrigation Administration, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
The receding waters have forced the shutdown of two hydropower plants and deprived countless rice farmers of vital irrigation, compelling some to switch to less water-intensive crops like vegetables.
In Thailand, the government has issued fresh warnings after the heat index in Bangkok surpassed a staggering 52°C (125.6°F). At least 30 heatstroke-related fatalities have been recorded nationwide this year, underscoring the severity of the crisis.
Extensive scientific research has unequivocally linked the increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of heatwaves to the escalating climate crisis. The United Nations recently declared Asia as the region most profoundly affected by climate and weather hazards in 2023, with floods and storms claiming numerous lives and inflicting substantial economic losses.
As the heatwave persists, disrupting lives and livelihoods across the region, concerns mount over the long-term implications of unchecked global warming. Governments and populations alike are being forced to confront the harsh realities of a rapidly changing climate, underscoring the urgent need for collective action to mitigate and adapt to its devastating consequences.
