Countries in South and Southeast Asia face weeks-long heat wave

South and Southeast Asian countries have faced a weeks-long heat wave generating record high temperatures that posed a serious health risk.

Umbrellas to protect against bright sunlight are popular, air-conditioned shopping malls are serving as urban oases and schools in Cambodia have reduced opening hours. In the Philippines, India and Bangladesh, authorities told students to stay home and take classes remotely.

In April, the United Nations Children’s Fund warned that the sweltering weather could put the lives of millions of children at risk and urged caregivers to take extra precautions.

A UNICEF statement states that in the Asia-Pacific region, “an estimated 243 million children are exposed to hotter and longer heat waves, putting them at risk of a multitude of heat-related illnesses, and even death”.

The advice everywhere for everyone? Avoid outdoor activities and drink lots of water.

Meteorologists in Cambodia say the country is facing its highest temperatures in 170 years, reaching 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit).

In Myanmar, weather experts said some parts of the country experienced record high temperatures last week. Several cities were included in lists of the world’s hottest spots in April, in at least one case exceeding 48.2 C (118.8 F).

Parts of eastern India had the hottest April on record, with a heatwave that scorched the region in the middle of a general election.

Recorded maximums reflect only air temperature, the historical measure for hot and cold weather. They don’t take into account the debilitating effects of humidity, which can make you even hotter.

The Thai capital Bangkok reached 40 C (104 F), but the heat index reportedly exceeded 50 C (122 F).

Cities like Bangkok constitute urban heat islands, where temperatures are higher than in the surrounding countryside due to the mass of buildings and concrete that trap and retain heat.

Benjamin Horton, director of Singapore Earth Observatory where natural phenomena such as climate change are studied, said that there are three causal factors for heat waves: El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon; an increase in global temperatures; It is human-induced climate change.

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