The ongoing heatwave sweeping across the country has significantly disrupted daily life and poses serious health risks. With temperatures soaring across regions-from Thakurgaon and Rajshahi to Dhaka, Chattogram, and Barishal-the entire nation is grappling with extreme weather conditions.
Children, the elderly, and daily wage earners are particularly vulnerable.
Reports of fever, stomach ailments, skin diseases, and heat rashes-especially among children-have surged.
For low-income communities, who often lack access to proper healthcare and awareness, the situation is even more dire. Animals too are suffering under the relentless sun.
It is crucial to ask why such extreme temperatures are becoming the norm. While natural climatic shifts play a role, human activities are largely to blame for the disruption in environmental balance. Climate studies show that the rate of warming in Bangladesh is higher than the global average. This year's heatwave has not only intensified but also expanded in geographical reach.
Unfortunately, public preparedness appears minimal. There is a glaring absence of government-level awareness campaigns, drinking water stations, shaded walkways, and emergency response measures. Urban greenery and water bodies, which could naturally mitigate heat, are in alarming decline.
If heatwaves continue to be dismissed as a seasonal inconvenience, we will only expose ourselves to greater danger in the coming years.
Authorities must act swiftly with both immediate safety plans and long-term environmental strategies to protect public health and wellbeing.
Ashikujaman Syed
Business Development
Manager,
Tianjin Pharmacn Medical
Technology Co., Ltd.,
Tianjin, China.
syedashikujaman@yahoo.com
