In Myanmar, a Record-Shattering Heatwave Takes a Toll on Elderly, Children, Poor

Magway Region’s Chauk this month found itself at or near the top of the list of the 15 hottest cities in the world compiled by El Dorado Weather.

After taking the top spot earlier this month, Chauk was listed as the world’s second-hottest city on Saturday, as the mercury hit 47.1 degrees Celsius in the town. Mandalay Region’s Nyaung-U, with a temperature of 44.7 degrees Celsius, was eighth on El Dorado’s list on Saturday.

Residents of Chauk told The Irrawaddy that they’d never felt such heat. “These are the hottest days of my life,” said 59-year-old U Thant.

Myanmar’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology said the temperature in Chauk broke a near five-decade record on April 7 when it hit 47.4 degrees Celsius.

Magway, Minbu, Taungoo, and Pyay also made Eldorado Weather’s list of the 15 hottest cities this month. Extreme heat has caused water shortages and threatened the health of children and the elderly across Myanmar, especially in the central plains.

Chauk’s U Thant said extreme heat is making older people dizzy and causing them to have headaches. Most residents of the town don’t dare venture outside during the day, he added.

A senior member of a charity in Chauk said it is distributing drinking water to villages where ponds have evaporated, leaving people without water to drink and wash.

Another resident of Chauk said her family had flipped its schedule so that all their activity takes place between 6 pm and 10 am. During the day, family members rest in the coolest rooms of their home, she said, adding that she worries about construction and day laborers who do not have her option and must keep working as the temperature soars.

As Chauk gets singed, children in the town are getting chicken pox and prickly heat, she said.

Six of Myanmar’s seven regions – Magwe, Yangon, Mandalay, Bago, Sagaing and Ayeyarwady – are experiencing extreme, pre-monsoon heat. Displaced people in Sagaing are extremely vulnerable. Residents of Mone Hla village, in Khin-U Township, say they face poor health and lack of access to water since junta soldiers torched their homes on March 28.

“We are staying in makeshift huts and in the shade of trees. It is unbearably hot. We struggle to find water. Elderly people faint and need medical care,” a resident of the village explained.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology said record-high temperatures had been recorded in 13 townships in April.

Temperatures are likely to rise in central Myanmar and the Ayeyarwady delta on April 28 and 29.

The World Meteorological Organization is warning that the intense heat that has gripped large parts of Asia and disrupted daily life poses a serious health threat.

The Thai government said heatstroke has killed at least 30 Thais so far this year. Similar data for Myanmar is not available.

The National Unity Government’s Health Ministry has advised citizens to avoid going outside when the temperature soars. It has also informed people about first aid for heat.

“The heat can cause dry skin, profuse sweating and elevated body temperature. It can be fatal,” said Dr Su Taung Pyae, who works at a free online clinic run by the NUG’s Health Ministry. People with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems are particularly vulnerable, doctors warn.