Southeast Asia Heat Wave Shuts Schools, Stokes Power Demand

(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines announced it will halt in-person classes at public schools, while Thai power demand rose to a record, as the heat wave gripping southern Asia continued to take its toll.

The temperature in metropolitan Manila soared to 38.8C (101.8F) on Saturday, according to the nation’s weather forecaster. That beat the previous all-time high recorded in May 1915, ABS-CBN News reported. The Department of Education responded to the sweltering weather, and a jeepney transport strike across the country, by closing public schools on Monday and Tuesday. 

In Thailand, power demand reached a record 36,356 megawatts late Saturday, the Ministry of Energy said. The country’s northern and northeastern regions are expected to be the hottest, with a high of 44C recorded in some areas on Sunday. 

Bangkok issued extreme heat warnings last week as its index rose to “very dangerous” levels. About 30 people have died due to the high temperatures this year in Thailand, compared with 37 heat-linked fatalities in all of 2023, according to government data. 

Soaring heat and drought have been felt in recent weeks from India, which is carrying out the world’s largest election in temperatures that have risen above 40C, to the coffee plantations of Vietnam. 

Earlier this month, the United Nations Children’s Fund warned that more than 243 million children across East Asia and the Pacific are at risk of heat-related illnesses and death, as the region braces for an unusually hot summer. 

The prolonged heat wave already forced the Philippines to close some schools earlier this month, prompting a return to remote learning that became the norm during Covid, while the government urged people to save electricity as power plants were forced to shut down.

Extreme Heat Shuts Philippine Schools, Prompts Remote Classes

A provincial government in the main Luzon island will implement a four-day work week through July to mitigate the impact of high temperatures on its employees and the public.

The nation’s heat index, which measures the temperature felt by individuals as it takes humidity into account, is forecast to reach as high as 46C on Monday in Manila, the weather agency said.

(Updates with details of Thailand’s power usage surging to an all-time high.)

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