Mercury rises to record high, no relief in sight
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
A record high temperature in the country in decades Monday exposed life to miseries also affecting power and water supply systems in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country, reports BSS.
Meteorologists said they feared the country to witness the current heat wave for some more days with no sign of rains at least in next two days while doctors said the hospitals were filled with the patients of intestinal diseases and heatstroke as the fallout of excessive temperature.
"Today we recorded the highest temperature in 14 years with mercury going up to 42.08 degrees Celsius in (southern) Jessore. We had recorded the highest temperature in decades in (northwestern) Bogra at 44 degrees Celsius in 1989," meteorologist Farah Diba told the news agency.
She added that the capital Dhaka witnessed 39.6 degrees Celsius, also the highest in decades while "no sign of any relief is in the offing at least for the next two to three days."
A spokesman of a major Dhaka health facility said the outbreak of diarrhoea caused by the heat wave and shortage of pure water in the capital city and outskirts reached nearly an epidemic level with International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR'B) alone treating some 800 new patients everyday.
"We have been forced to erect makeshift tents on the ICDDR'B premises to admit patients coming to the facility with diarrhoeal diseases, the number is a record since the installation of the facility 45 years ago.
His comments came as doctors advised people to stay indoors evading exposure to scorching summer sun and drink more pure water, while electricity shortage affected the water supply system.
Power officials said gas crisis in gas-based plants and technical faults in plants exposed the country towards a shortfall of nearly 1500 megawatts (MW) against a demand for 5,500 MW, a situation forcing authorities to ration power by cutting power supplies in the city areas in every alternative hour after one hour of supply.
"The step has been taken while the demand for electricity (rather) increased by 200 MW to 300 MW in the capital during the spell of the heat wave," a spokesman of the Power Development Board (PDB) said.
But Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday asked the power authorities to provide adequate electricity to the city's water pumps so that the Dhaka Water Supply Authority (WASA) could supply sufficient water to the residents.
She also directed WASA officials to inform the city residents in advance at what time of the day they would get water supply.
WASA officials, however, said they intensified vigilance at their pump houses to cope with the current crisis, and are trying to make the best use of their inadequate number of their own power generators to increase water supply.
Meteorologists said they feared the country to witness the current heat wave for some more days with no sign of rains at least in next two days while doctors said the hospitals were filled with the patients of intestinal diseases and heatstroke as the fallout of excessive temperature.
"Today we recorded the highest temperature in 14 years with mercury going up to 42.08 degrees Celsius in (southern) Jessore. We had recorded the highest temperature in decades in (northwestern) Bogra at 44 degrees Celsius in 1989," meteorologist Farah Diba told the news agency.
She added that the capital Dhaka witnessed 39.6 degrees Celsius, also the highest in decades while "no sign of any relief is in the offing at least for the next two to three days."
A spokesman of a major Dhaka health facility said the outbreak of diarrhoea caused by the heat wave and shortage of pure water in the capital city and outskirts reached nearly an epidemic level with International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR'B) alone treating some 800 new patients everyday.
"We have been forced to erect makeshift tents on the ICDDR'B premises to admit patients coming to the facility with diarrhoeal diseases, the number is a record since the installation of the facility 45 years ago.
His comments came as doctors advised people to stay indoors evading exposure to scorching summer sun and drink more pure water, while electricity shortage affected the water supply system.
Power officials said gas crisis in gas-based plants and technical faults in plants exposed the country towards a shortfall of nearly 1500 megawatts (MW) against a demand for 5,500 MW, a situation forcing authorities to ration power by cutting power supplies in the city areas in every alternative hour after one hour of supply.
"The step has been taken while the demand for electricity (rather) increased by 200 MW to 300 MW in the capital during the spell of the heat wave," a spokesman of the Power Development Board (PDB) said.
But Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday asked the power authorities to provide adequate electricity to the city's water pumps so that the Dhaka Water Supply Authority (WASA) could supply sufficient water to the residents.
She also directed WASA officials to inform the city residents in advance at what time of the day they would get water supply.
WASA officials, however, said they intensified vigilance at their pump houses to cope with the current crisis, and are trying to make the best use of their inadequate number of their own power generators to increase water supply.