Special Correspondent:

A writ petition was filed seeking direction from the appropriate authorities to control the current ongoing heat flow in the country and to formulate policies and action plans to prevent heat flow.

The writ specifically requests the establishment of a separate authority, similar to the Capital Development Authority (RAJUK), dedicated to developing policies and guidelines for environmental protection and heatwave control.

Advocate Roshan Ali, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed a writ petition in the relevant branch of the High Court in the interest of the public by adding the news published in various national dailies. In the writ, the Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the two (North and South) City Corporations of Dhaka and the Rajuk Chairman of the Capital Development Authority have been made defendants. Lawyer Roshan Ali himself confirmed the matter of the writ.

Earlier, two newspaper reports were presented before a double bench of the High Court on heat flow. After presenting the report, the court advised the lawyer to apply to the concerned department. At the same time he asked to try to know whether they have taken any action or not.

On April 30, the High Court Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md. A bench comprising Atabullah suggested that. Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Roshan Ali presented the report to the court.

He said on that day, such a heat wave in the country has not happened in a few years. Such a situation has not arisen in at least 10-12 years. So it needs to be remedied and action needs to be taken with expert opinion. On that day, the court asked him to write to the appropriate authorities and file a writ petition. In continuation of that, this writ petition was filed on Sunday.

A national daily published reports on the intense heat wave two days in a row with the headlines ‘90% of capital at risk of fire’ and ‘Residents of 21 districts at high risk of heatwave’. which is presented in court.

According to the published report, residents of Shahbagh, Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan, Bangladesh University of Engineering (BUET) and Dhaka University areas of the capital are in relatively less danger this summer. Because, the temperature level is low in these areas in Dhaka. Kamrangirchar and Adabar areas are the hottest in the capital. Apart from this, the heat level has become intense in the Dhanmondi area as well. In all, 90 percent of the area of North and South Dhaka City Corporation is in danger of severe heat waves.

This information came out in a report titled ‘Heat Flow: Bangladesh, Early Warning System’ published by Bangladesh Red Crescent Society on April 24.

Apart from identifying the temperature in any area, the organization has created a map based on four indicators. The heat map was updated on Sunday. The survey took into account temperature, population density, presence of poor people and the extent of densely populated areas and number of slums.

Which areas are more dangerous:

After last year’s extremely hot conditions, the Red Crescent Society, Bangladesh Meteorological Department and Climate Center jointly conducted a study on the dangers of heat in Dhaka city.

According to the survey, the heat-threatened areas are Kamrangirchar, Mirpur, Gabtali, Gogan, Basabo, Tongi, Shahidnagar, Babubazar, Jurain, Hazaribagh, Postgola, Jatrabari, Tejkunipara, Nakhalpara, Syedabad, Kurmitola, Azampur, Kamarpara, Mohammadpur, Adabar and Mohakhali.

However, the danger of heat is less in Shahbagh, Ramna Park, Suhrawardy Udyan and surrounding areas. Other low risk areas include Uttarkhan, Khilkhet and Demra. Many places in these areas are not yet populated. Besides, these areas still have some vegetation and wetlands.

The study of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society also said that during summer, rickshaw pullers cannot go to work for more than six days on average in a month due to heat and illness. Besides, you can work about three hours less than usual every day. 83 percent of the rickshaw pullers reported that their health expenditure increased by Tk 535 per month during summer compared to other times. Similarly, hawkers, construction workers, day laborers and low income people are less able to work. This is reducing their income.

The writ petition emphasizes the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to address the heatwave, including policy development, creation of a dedicated authority, and implementation of action plans to safeguard public health and well-being.