BARISHAL, Apr 25: An ongoing heatwave has engulfed the entire Barishal region, pushing life into severe hardship. With no rainfall recorded in the past 15 days, temperatures have risen up to 4°C above normal levels.
At the same time, persistent electricity shortages have further deepened the crisis. Load shedding continues round the clock, with more than half of the region's demand of 800 megawatts remaining unmet for the past two weeks, making the situation increasingly unstable.
The combined impact of heat and power cuts is now threatening agricultural production. Risks to Boro paddy and other Rabi crops are steadily increasing. Farmers and agricultural labourers are unable to work in the fields due to the extreme heat, while fishermen are also refraining from going to rivers, leading to an initial decline in fish supply in local markets.
The Meteorological Office has forecast that the heatwave may continue for another two days, with chances of rain or thundershowers in one or two places in Barishal on Monday. It also warned of a slight rise in temperature over the weekend. Although the region received its first rainfall after 127 days on March 9, rainfall in March remained 49 percent below normal. While 120-140 mm of rainfall was forecast for April, only 31 mm has been recorded so far, after which there has been no further precipitation.
The crisis has also started affecting public health. Hospitals in the region are seeing a rise in patients suffering from heat-related illnesses. Cases of suspected measles have also increased significantly. According to the divisional health office, around 2,500 suspected measles cases were reported in government hospitals in Barishal until Friday noon, of whom 2,100 children were admitted. Seventeen children have died, while 1,704 have recovered and returned home.
Meanwhile, farmers are increasingly worried over irrigation and diesel supply for the upcoming boro harvest. Around 87,000 irrigation pumps are currently operating across nearly 400,000 hectares of boro fields in the region, of which about 74,000 are diesel-run. These pumps require over five lakh litres of diesel daily, but supply remains unstable.
Officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said that to harvest an estimated 1.8 million tonnes of boro rice this season, fields must maintain 1.5 to 2 inches of water continuously throughout May, making uninterrupted irrigation essential.
As the heat wave continues, normal life in Barishal has become increasingly unbearable, with the combination of rising temperatures, power shortages and rainfall deficit intensifying public suffering across the region.
