State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Mohibbur Rahman has said that the recent heatwaves have been considered a disaster.

He said that providing financial support of Tk 10,000 to 25,000 is not enough for casualties in any disaster. The government has plans to increase the amount of financial support, he said.

He made the remarks while addressing a debate competition at the FDC Auditorium in the city on Saturday. Debate for Democracy organised the event, with its chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran in the chair.

The state minister said that a list of people who died of heatstroke is being prepared. Those who have become unemployed due to extreme heat are being brought under the social safety net.

Heatwave being considered a ‘disaster’: State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief

He also noted that there is no plan to appoint any heat officer by the minister. “It is not enough to spray water through water cannons, rather, it has to be done in a more scientific way”, he said.

He observed that the unnecessary use of glass without complying with building codes is one of the causes of overheating in buildings. Many educated people are also making such houses without complying with the existing law and turning their own houses into death traps, he noted.

Chairman of Debate for Democracy Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said that the government does not have any accurate data of the people who died of heatstroke this year.

He said there is also no information about their financial support. In the current reality, at least Tk 3 lakh should be paid to the families of those who die due to disaster.

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He noted that every year, extreme temperatures cost $2.7 billion in lost productivity. By 2030, it is estimated that the clothing industry alone will lose $6 billion due to extreme heat.  In this case, the workers of various industries including the garment sector are at risk of losing their jobs.

Debaters from Dhaka College defeated debaters from Government Titumir College in the Shadow Parliament on “Unplanned Urbanisation is responsible for Unbearable Temperature Rise”.

Judges in the competition were Professor Abu Muhammad Raees, Journalists Iftekhar Mahmud, Falguni Rashid, Deepak Kumar Acharya, Atiqur Rahman.