Distance learning in the Philippines, crowded parks in Burma, high heat alert messages in Bangladesh… South-East Asia continues to sweat under abnormally high temperatures this Sunday, April 28, with peaks above 45°C. . Heat waves made longer, more intense and more frequent due to global warming, according to experts.
On Tuesday April 23, the United Nations said that Asia was warming particularly quickly, after temperature records were broken around the world in 2023 and that 2024 looks set to be even worse. On this continent, the Philippines is one of the countries most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. The thermometer showed 38.8°C in the capital Manila this Saturday – a figure never reached before -, with a felt temperature of 45°C, according to national statistics. On the same day, more than 40°C was recorded in Camiling, in the northwest province of Tarlac, which represents a national record in 2024.
Near Dhaka, Bangladesh, the maximum temperatures recorded over the week exceeded the averages established over the last 30 years during the same period by 4°C to 5°C. Same atmosphere in many nearby countries: in Thailand, the mercury could reach 44.1°C in the north of Phetchabun province this Sunday while in Cambodia, the mercury could rise to 43°C during the week future. In Vietnam, temperatures of 38 and 41° are expected in the coming days, particularly in the north of the country. India is also cooking, while the thermometer could touch 44°C in places during this weekend.
The temperatures make daily life unbearable for many residents. So much so that, in recent days, in Thailand, but also in the Philippines and Bangladesh, the authorities have taken measures to protect populations from extreme heat. In Manila, face-to-face classes even had to be suspended in the 47,000 public schools for two days next Monday and Tuesday, in the face of unbearable heat. In Bangladesh, schools reopened this Sunday after several days of closure for the same reasons. Millions of students have returned to class despite a high heat alert still active, nursery schools remaining closed while primary school timetables are shortened.
In Burma, where the mercury reached 45.9°C on Wednesday in the town of Chauk (central-west), many seek coolness in the shade of trees in parks once the sun sets. In this country plagued by civil conflict and an obsolete electricity network, power cuts are frequent, between attacks on infrastructure and dried up gas reserves. Those who cannot afford a gasoline generator can thus spend more than eight hours a day without power and therefore without air conditioning.