Saline the saviour in unbearable hot spell
People taking relishing saline water during the daytime hot spell as Rajshahi City Corporation authorities have taken the programme to save city dwellers, especially those who have to work outside, from dehydration.Photo: STAR
People of Rajshahi are experiencing an unbearable hot spell with the daytime temperature hovering around 40 degrees Celsius, much over the district's average April temperature of 35.7 degrees while erratic power supply coupled with water crisis compounds the problem. The met office yesterday recorded the district's highest temperature at 39.8 degrees Celsius while it was 40.6 degrees on Wednesday and 40.5 degrees on Tuesday. The season's highest temperature was recorded at 42.5 degree on April 10. Under a programme to save poor people from dehydration, two teams employed by Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) had some 27,000 people take saline at different city points since April 12, said RCC officials. Drying up of rivers and water bodies due to the adverse effect of climate change are responsible for the reduction in rainfall and rise in temperature in the region, experts said. Rainfall in Rajshahi region was 2042 millimetres in 2007 and it reduced to 1,269 millimetres in 2008 while the region experienced the record low rainfall of 960 millimetres in 2009, said Dr Golam Sabbir Sattar, a teacher of geology and mining department of Rajshahi University. The hot weather also hampers harvesting of boro paddy as labourers are unable to stay in the crop fields for long. Rajshahi city and nine upazilas of the district are facing average 35MW of load shedding against the daily demand for 80MW now, said sources at PDB. Acute water crisis resulting out of the depletion of groundwater in many areas adds to the sufferings of people. RCC is managing to supply some 130 lakh gallons of water daily against the demand of 226 lakh gallons. Patients and commuters are the worst sufferers due to the heat wave.
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