RAJSHAHI, April 25, 2022 (BSS) - The sweeping heat weather has been affecting the normal life of people, particularly the low-income and labour-class ones, in the city along with its adjacent area for the last couple of days.

Local Meteorological Office recorded the highest temperature of 40.6 degrees Celsius at 3pm today against 40.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

The dismayed people are thronging marketplaces to buy glucose, oral saline, watermelon and other fruit to get relief to some extent as an uneasy situation is prevailing everywhere.
 
Kamal Uddin, Senior Observatory Officer of Rajshahi Meteorological Office, said a mild heat wave hit most of the region and the situation may continue for the next couple of days.

Mostly, people whose livelihood depends on manual labour are the worst sufferers. Their daily income has reduced as they are compelled to take rest during the working hours at day time, creating a negative impact on their life and livelihood.
 
Meanwhile, demand for seasonal fruits like pineapples, watermelons and coconut has increased in the city because of hot weather.
 
Doctors at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital have advised everyone to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

The unexpected sultry weather due to change in climate caused mangoes to drop immaturely, said agriculturist Dr Saifur Rahman adding, "It eventually affects the expected yield of mangoes."
 
He said mango trees in his area had initially blossomed well, but many of the mangoes had become victims caused by prolonged sultry weather.
 
"We are cursed with the devastating Norwester early this month," said Abul Hossain. The mango growers of Chapainawabganj and Rajshahi are worried as the number of trees bearing fruits is adequate.
 
Expressing apprehension a number of growers said despite massive sprouting in the very beginning of the season, production of mango might fall this year due to scanty rainfall coupled with norwester and hailstorm which caused massive dropping of growing mangoes.
 
The mango growers and traders here have become frustrated and they are concerned as a large number of green mangoes have been torn from the trees by the prolonged drought-like condition and recent norwesters and hailstorms.
 
The unfavourable weather follows the earlier unexpected rainfall accompanied by hailstorm which had caused many green mangoes to fall before ripening properly.
 
Farmers told BSS that the dropping of green mangoes would reduce production, particularly in the two districts if the adverse situation prolongs for the next couple of weeks.
 
Professor Rezaur Rahman of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences in Rajshahi University (RU) opined that the prolonged rainless condition has created a detrimental condition on overall public health in terms of drinking water as well as ecosystem and biodiversity.
 
Illustrating his academic and research expertise on the issue, Prof Rahman said global warming has been escalating gradually due to various reasons including carbon emission resulting in climate change. There is no way but to reduce global warming.
 
Massive afforestation can be the effective means of substantial and sustainable reduction of carbon emission, he added.
 
Besides, utmost importance should be given on transforming the existing irrigation system in the Barind area into surface water-based instead of the groundwater ones to mitigate the existing water-stressed condition.
 
Promotion of less-water consuming crops can also be the best way in this regard.