Six-season Bengali year evaporating in heat wave

Bangladesh faces a critical challenge in tackling the intensifying heat waves, as heat stress kills 3.12 hours in productivity of an individual everyday and cash out additional TK 516 of an individual belonging to low-income communities annually, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society research said.

Agriculture, also witnesses low rice yield due to extreme heat, resulting in a hike in food prices and a rise in poverty levels. Therefore, heat stress also undermines the economic viability and productivity of developing nations like Bangladesh, it said.

The smallholder farmers of drought-prone areas working in scorching heat with less access to drinking water are also heavily impacted during heat waves. Additionally, marginalised women bear the disproportionate burden of extreme heat conditions, which deteriorate their health and well-being and reduce productivity. 

Although it has been recorded that 2024 was the warmest year in the 175-year history of global temperature records, Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has predicted more frequent occurrences of heat waves in the coming decade. 

"The year 2024 saw a record number of natural disasters linked to extreme weather events, including cyclones, typhoons, and heat waves in urban, peri-urban and rural areas, poor living conditions is generating worse conditions and impacting individuals and families living below the poverty line," it said.

"Bangladesh need to address this emerging heat emergency by taking pragmatic and quick climate actions in the upcoming 30th UN Climate Change Conference with least developed countries (LDCs)," Dr. Atiq Rahman, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies said.

"Bangladesh has made significant strides in climate policy, heat stress remains critically overlooked in national adaptation strategies. Therefore, integrating heat resilience into the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is now imperative. Rather than a setback, this presents an opportunity for Bangladesh, as the country can leverage international climate finance to drive transformative adaptation," he added.

Bangladeshi climate experts have expressed concern over the findings, emphasising that the extreme climate events of 2023-24 will have long-lasting impacts on the country.

Climate change has significantly altered Bangladesh's weather patterns, impacting natural ecosystems, agriculture, livelihoods, and the broader economy.  

The country's once-distinct six seasons are becoming increasingly blurred, with winter ending prematurely and summer-like heat beginning well before the official start of the season.  

As in recent years, BMD sources expect this year's summer and monsoon seasons to be prolonged.
 
Annual reports from the Met Office show that just a decade ago, Bangladesh regularly experienced prolonged cold spells in January and February, with dense fog and temperatures dropping to 7-8°C in parts of northern Bangladesh.  

In contrast, the average minimum temperature this January stood at 13.6°C - about one degree higher than the previous year. 

Professor Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumder, Chairman of the Centre for Atmospheric Pollution Studies (CAPS), said that the average temperature in Dhaka has risen by over 3°C in the past 7-8 years.  

"In 2017, the average temperature in areas under Dhaka South City Corporation was 33.50°C, which climbed to 36.54°C in 2024. The trend suggests a further rise by mid-2025. Dhaka North City Corporation has seen an even steeper increase - nearly 4°C. The average there jumped from 33.39°C in 2017 to 37.38°C last year," he said.
  
According to CAPS data, the most dramatic temperature increase was recorded in Mohakhali, where the average rose from 33.50°C in 2017 to 41.5°C in 2024 - a staggering 7.5°C rise. Areas such as Tejgaon, Mirpur-10, and Farmgate also saw temperature increases of over 3.5°C during the same period.