Surviving summer heat in Chittagong

Life almost came to a halt in the port city on Monday -- under the blazing sun.

The midday summer heat was unbearable. Commuters waited in vain as autorickshaws and rickshaws scrambled for some shade.

Those who were not off the roads because of the heat demanded extra fare, said Arifur Rahman, a businessman who spent half an hour standing at the WASA intersection.

The heat wave sweeping across the country will not relent before days, according to a weather forecast.

The morning temperature recorded at Patenga Met Office was 34.4 degrees Celsius.

The highest recorded temperature on the previous day was 35 degrees Celsius.

Rain seems far off. The heat wave will stay for another week or more.

“The temperature won’t come down before the first week of June,” said Biswajit Chowdhury, forecast official at the Patenga Met Office.

The city’s bus commuters were in trouble because most buses did not have air conditioning. The fans are on-again and off-again, said Shafikur Rahman, a CEPZ official.

“The passengers have to huddle together on packed buses in this horrible heat.”

Passing the heat wave was particularly hard for children.

The number of child patients have risen in Chittagong hospitals, said Civil Surgeon Dr Azizur Rahman Siddiki.

Upazila towns had many cases of viral fever, rashes and influenza. “Too much sweat means salt is leaving the body. Everyone should drink saline, despite age. They should carry umbrellas when leaving the house between 9pm and 3pm.”   

“They are mostly being admitted with rashes, bronchitis, asthma and diarrhoea,” said Dr Pranab Kumar Chowdhury, head of paediatrics at Chittagong Medical College and Hospital.