Rickshaw-pullers at Dhaka University nap in their rickshaws to keep off from the sweltering heat in the capital as hot and dry weather prevails in many parts of the country. The photo was taken on Wednesday. — Sanaul Haque

The current spell of hot and humid weather will continue throughout the month with daytime temperatures even rising in the next couple of days, officials at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department warned.
The ongoing spell of blistering heat has made people’s life across the country particularly difficult. The frequent power cuts, triggered by the increased use of electricity, have also aggravated the situation.
The highest temperature, 39.2 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Rajshahi on Wednesday. In Dhaka it was 35.2 degrees Celsius.
‘The prevailing mild to moderate heat wave over Rajshahi, Rangpur and Khulna divisions and the regions around Dhaka may continue,’ meteorologist Abdur Rahman told New Age on Wednesday.
Another meteorologist at the BMD said that the weather was likely to remain mainly dry with a partly cloudy sky. There are some chances of rain accompanied by squally winds in one or two places over the Rajshahi and Khulna divisions, he added.
City dwellers have been particularly suffering due to the acute crisis of water and intermittent power supply in many parts of Dhaka.
Residents of Moghbazar, Mirpur, Gandaria, Jatrabari, Mohammadpur, Gopibagh and Mohakhali in the capital are enduring water shortages during the blistering heat. Some even have dirty water coming out of their taps.
The heat wave sweeping the country has led to the outbreak of a number of diseases such as diarrhoea, heat stroke, cholera, viral fever, jaundice and vomiting amongst the elderly and children, doctors said.
The New Age Rajshahi correspondent reported that low-income groups, including day labourers and rickshaw-pullers are most hard hit by the summer heat, forcing many to remain off work.
The city roads and markets wore a deserted look during the daytime, as people took shelter in their homes.
Those who are unable to buy an IPS system or generator are the worst sufferers from the scorching heat.
Rajshahi residents alleged that they are experiencing at least 10 hours of load-shedding every day.
Medicine specialist Mahbubur Rahman Khan of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital told New Age that children, newborn babies, elderly people and cardiac patients suffer most due to load-shedding.
‘People should take sufficient oral saline and water in the heat to protect them from dehydration,’ he said.
Meanwhile, demand for seasonal fruits, including watermelons, sugarcane juice and green coconuts has increased in the city.