33 million youngsters miss school due to the intense heat

33 million youngsters miss school due to the intense heat

In Bangladesh, intense heat has caused 33 million children to miss school, with some areas seeing temperatures over 42C (108F).

There will be no classes or colleges open until April 27 at the latest. Because of the severe weather, officials have taken this action for the second year in a row.

It comes as a continuous heatwave sweeping throughout Asia forces the closure of schools in the Philippines and India.

"School closures due to heat should be concerning for all of us, as Bangladeshi children are among the world's poorest," said Shumon Sengupta, the director of Save the Children's Bangladesh chapter.

On Thursday, the nation's meteorological officials issued the fourth heat advisory of the month.

Low-hanging Bangladesh is among the nations most susceptible to the effects of the global warming catastrophe.

A 30- to 45-cm increase in sea level, or about 25% of the nation's population, may force more than 35 million people out of coastal regions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Thousands of Muslims across gathered in rural fields and mosques on Wednesday to pray for rain.

Islamic preacher Muhammad Abu Yusuf told the AFP news agency, "Life has become unbearable due to lack of rains... Poor people are suffering immensely."

On Wednesday, Mr. Yusuf conducted a morning prayer session for a thousand people in the heart of the capital city of Dhaka.

Bangladesh's meteorological services predict that at least one more week of intense heat would persist.

Summertime diseases including fever and headaches have prompted hospitals and clinics to brace themselves for an increase in patient volume.

Asia endured a scorching summer record.

According to a research, climate warming made Asia's April heatwave 2C harsher.

According to statements made earlier this week by Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen, patients experiencing heatstroke would be admitted to wards with air conditioning.

In addition to taking children into account when making decisions and allocating funds for climate change, Mr. Sengupta said that "leaders need to act now to urgently reduce warming temperatures." Children are more vulnerable to prejudice, poverty, and inequality.

Over 243 million children in East Asia and the Pacific are at danger of heat-related sickness and death, according to a warning from Unicef.

Because babies and infants are less able to control their body temperatures than adults, abnormally high temperatures present "grave risks" to them, the FDA said.

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, issued a warning this week that the heat index will rise to a "extremely dangerous" degree. The index is a measurement of the perceived temperature that accounts for wind speed, humidity, and other variables.

As of Wednesday, the health ministry of Thailand reported that thirty individuals have passed away from heatstroke in the country between January and April 17 of this year, as opposed to 37 for the whole year 2023.

On Wednesday, the temperature in Myanmar, across the border, was beyond 45C.

Due to excessive heat, around 47,000 schools in the Philippines also canceled in-person courses earlier this month.

Due to power outages and electric fans that overheat from continuous use, the number of fire occurrences in the Philippines from January to March increased by 24% as compared to the same time in 2023, according to the fire officials.

throughout recent years, the majority of severe weather occurrences have affected countries throughout Asia.

The World Meteorological Organization said in a new research this week that "many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, together with a barrage of extreme conditions, from droughts as well as heatwaves to floods and storms."

The organization's secretary-general, Celeste Saulo, said, "Climate change exacerbated the intensity and frequency of such events, profoundly harming societies, economies, and, most importantly, human lives as well as the environment that we live in."