33 million children’s schools closed in Bangladesh due to intense heat

33 million students in Bangladesh have been forced to miss school due to the intense heat, with certain areas of the country seeing temperatures above 42°C (108 F).

There will be no classes or colleges open until April 27 at the latest. Because of the severe weather, officials have had to take 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.

“Children in Bangladesh are among the poorest in the world, and heat-related school closures should ring alarm bells for us all,” said Shumon Sengupta, Save the Children’s Bangladesh director.

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

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

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

“Life has become unbearable due to lack of rains… Poor people are suffering immensely,” Islamic cleric Muhammad Abu Yusuf told AFP news agency.

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

The high heat is expected to last for at least another week, according to Bangladesh’s weather officials.

Due to heat-related ailments like fever and headaches, hospitals and clinics have been instructed to get ready for an increase in patient volume.

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

“Leaders need to act now to urgently reduce warming temperatures, as well as factoring children – particularly those affected by poverty, inequality and discrimination – into decision making and climate finance,” Mr Sengupta said.

The “grave risks” that such high temperatures pose to young children—especially newborns and infants—have also been highlighted by Unicef. (BBC)