As heatwave batters the country, agencies step up relief measures

When he saw water being sprayed in the street, it was an instant relief for Saleh Hossain from the hellish summer heat. The 60-year old was quick to join kids being drenched in the water showered like rain from a truck in the capital city's Agargaon.

As the severe heatwave sends the city's temperature to 39 degrees Celsius or more, the Dhaka north city authority launched a programme of spraying water on roads in selected spots to give people on the city streets some relief from the sweltering sun.

"We are taking measures following several recommendations from the chief heat officer. We will create artificial rain on various streets of Dhaka using the city corporation's spray cannon vehicles," Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Md Atiqul Islam said on ‍Saturday after inspecting the water spraying activities in Agargaon.

"We have two of these spray machines. They will roam the streets from 11am to 4pm. Each vehicle can spray about 400,000 litres of water per day," he added.

Though described as 'artificial rain,' it is in fact spraying water mist from large fog gun trucks to cool a city area, as commonly practiced in cities around the world to give people some respite from severe summer heat. China's cities of Hangzhou, Wuhan and Chongqing used such fog gun trucks and mist cannons when temperature soared to record high two years back.

Last year, when Europe suffered from severe heat waves, many cities tried other urban interventions ways to give people some comfort in scorching heat.

In Spain, city authorities hung cloth awnings atop buildings to protect shoppers and pedestrians from fierce sun in some busy shopping areas of the city.

In Dhaka city, various other government and private agencies have launched initiatives to provide relief to city residents during the ongoing nationwide heatwave. 

These organisations are providing services such as safe drinking water, umbrellas, street water sprinkling and even "artificial rain" for further relief.

Saturday afternoon, in the Agargaon area, children and elderly people were seen enjoying the refreshing water spray from two water cannons deployed by the DNCC. These machines are being used to control air pollution and cool down the city during the intense heat.

"Seeing the water being sprayed, I got wet along with the children. I feel much more peaceful even after getting some relief from the heat," 60-year-old Saleh Hossain told TBS.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Wasa has been supplying safe drinking water in 10 zones of Dhaka since 21 April.

"We are supplying safe drinking water to more than 200 points, including Karwan Bazar, Shahbag, and Paltan, from 11am to 5pm daily. This free supply of drinking water will continue as long as the heatwave persists," Dhaka Wasa spokesperson AM Mostafa Tarek told TBS.

Rickshaw driver Yasir was collecting water from a booth set up by Dhaka Wasa in Karwan Bazar. "I drink water from here whenever I get a trip near Karwan Bazar. I cannot keep buying water repeatedly. These water tanks at the street corners provide some relief," he said.

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has also increased its water spraying efforts.

"Twelve vehicles from Dhaka South are now spraying water on various roads. Three additional vehicles have been deployed recently. During this heatwave, water spraying is being conducted on many more roads compared to before," said M Abu Naser, public relations officer of DSCC.

The Traffic Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is providing traffic police with essential supplies to help them cope with the heat.

"All eight traffic divisions of the DMP are receiving pure drinking water, food saline, and umbrellas for shade," said Md Munibur Rahman, additional police commissioner (traffic division) of DMP.

Private organisations are also contributing to heatwave relief efforts.  Hamdard is distributing free Rooh Afza sherbet to pedestrians at some locations in the capital, while Supershop chain Shwapno is offering free drinks to pedestrians.

Meanwhile, DNCC has also announced that it will distribute 33,000 umbrellas to rickshaw pullers in the areas under its jurisdiction.

In a further effort to alleviate the effects of the heatwave, DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam announced plans to create "artificial rain" in various streets of the city. The mayor also directed officials to create artificial rain in parks and sports fields within a week.

"We are taking measures following several recommendations from the chief heat officer. We will create artificial rain on various streets of Dhaka using the city corporation's spray cannon vehicles," he said yesterday after inspecting the water spraying activities in Agargaon.

"For narrow alleys and streets inaccessible to large vehicles, we will deploy smaller water-spraying vehicles. We have ten such vehicles. Previously, this activity was limited in scope, but now it will operate regularly throughout the heatwave," the mayor said.

He further announced the deployment of 200 vans to distribute drinking water across Dhaka North, with three vans assigned to each ward. These vans will also provide water near parks and sports fields, with operations commencing on Saturday.

The mayor also urged residents to take care of the trees around their homes.

"I request shopkeepers, businessmen, and owner-association leaders of Dhaka North to arrange a drum of drinking water in front of each shop, shopping mall, and market," he said in a message to city dwellers.

Saiful Islam, executive engineer (waste management department) of Dhaka North, said that the water used for spraying comes from the city corporation's deep tube wells.

"The pumps are located at the city corporation's workshops in Mohakhali, Gabtali, and the Aminbazar landfill. This water is safe for drinking," he told TBS.

Dhaka North also collects drinking water from Wasa for distribution.

Call to declare heatwave a disaster

Meanwhile, speakers at a meeting titled "Impact of Climate Change on Occupational Health and Safety and Biochemical Hazard in Workplace" urged the government to officially declare the heatwave a disaster.

The meeting, organised by the Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation, revealed that intense heatwaves are causing a staggering loss of $2,700 crore in productivity every year in Dhaka.

If this heatwave trend continues, the garment sector alone will suffer a loss of $600 crore by 2030, putting nearly 2.5 lakh garment workers at risk of losing their jobs, speakers said.

In addition, they demanded financial assistance for the families of workers who have recently lost their lives due to heatwave, inclusion of heat emission-related issues in climate change policies, special social security programs for people in dry areas, and inclusion of heatwave in the Bangladesh Labour Act as an occupational health hazard.

Jahangirnagar University Professor Sheikh Tawhidul Islam, in his speech, mentioned that due to intense heatwaves, workers could lose 25% of their total working hours in April and May, resulting in an estimated financial loss of Tk50 crore.

Heatwave persists, limited rain expected

Chuadanga sizzled again on Saturday, recording the year's highest temperature so far at a scorching 42.7 degrees Celsius. This marks the second consecutive day with such a high temperature in Chuadanga.

Other districts also experienced significant heat, with Rajshahi and Pabna reaching 41.5 degrees Celsius yesterday. Jashore previously reported a temperature of 42.7 degrees Celsius, while Dhaka peaked at a comparatively cooler 37.4 degrees Celsius on the same day.

According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department's evening bulletin yesterday, Sylhet received the highest rainfall across the country at 84 mm, while Moulvibazar's Sreemangal saw only 3 mm. No rainfall was recorded in other parts of Bangladesh.

The BMD forecasts the possibility of isolated rain or thunderstorms with temporary strong winds in one or two locations within the Chattogram and Sylhet divisions. Hail is also possible in isolated areas. Elsewhere in the country, the weather is expected to remain mostly dry with occasional partial cloud cover.

"Rain or thunderstorm activity may increase, and daytime temperatures may decrease across the country towards the end of the period after 2 May. There is no significant chance of rain nationwide before then. After 2 May, influenced by the nor'wester weather pattern, rain is likely in most parts of the country. Until then, the heatwave is expected to persist." BMD Meteorologist Md Omar Faruq told TBS.