Bangladesh court – A Bangladesh court on Monday ordered the closure of schools across the country due to an ongoing heat wave, a day after the government sent millions of children back to class despite scorching temperatures.
Extensive scientific research has found that climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. Average temperatures in Dhaka over the past week have been 4 to 5 degrees Celsius higher than the 30-year average for the same period.
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Bangladesh follows the work week from Sunday to Thursday. The order directs schools to remain closed for approximately 32 million students until next Sunday.
The government had imposed a nationwide school closure for April 21 as the heat wave persisted but lifted the order over the weekend. Classes resumed in Dhaka on Sunday and anxious relatives escorted their children to the school gates.
The government said seven people had died as a result of the extreme heat since the beginning of this month, and maximum temperatures in the capital were forecast to remain above 40 degrees until Thursday.
A two-judge bench of the High Court passed an order “to close all primary and secondary schools and madrasah due to the heat wave,” Deputy Attorney General Sheikh Saifuzzaman said. He said the court approved the order after lawyers told him that several teachers had died in the heat wave.
The India Meteorological Department IMD has issued a red alert for the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Odisha for the next two to three days due to heat waves. Some parts of the country are already experiencing intense heat, prompting government agencies to issue health warnings, while some states have suspended classes. Bangladesh court
In its latest weather bulletin issued on Monday evening, the met office said “intense hot conditions” are expected in eastern India until Wednesday, while they will continue in the southern region of the peninsula for the next five days.