Schools will be closed until at least April 27, marking the second consecutive year for such closures.

This comes as part of a persistent heatwave affecting Asia, also causing school closures in the Philippines and India.

Shumon Sengupta, Save the Children's Bangladesh director, expressed concern, stating, "Children in Bangladesh are among the poorest in the world, and heat-related school closures should ring alarm bells for us all." Bangladesh's weather authorities issued their fourth heat alert for the month on Thursday, making the country, which is highly vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis, a major concern.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that a sea level rise of 30-45 cm could force over 35 million people in Bangladesh, which is about a quarter of its population, to leave coastal areas.

Thousands of Muslims in the country prayed for rain on Wednesday due to extreme heat and lack of rain, making life unbearable for poor people.

The heatwave is expected to continue for another week, and hospitals have been asked to prepare for an increase in heat-related illnesses.

The Health Minister of India announced that heatstroke patients will be treated in air-conditioned wards.

The UNICEF has warned that over 243 million children in East Asia and the Pacific are at risk of heat-related illnesses and death due to rising temperatures.

Newborns and infants are particularly vulnerable as they have difficulty regulating their body temperatures.

City officials in Bangkok, Thailand, have issued a warning for an "extremely dangerous" heat index.

The authors call for urgent action to reduce temperatures and prioritize children, especially those affected by poverty and inequality, in climate finance decisions.

A heatwave in Asia has resulted in a significant increase in heat-related deaths and other issues.

In Thailand, there have been 30 heatstroke deaths from January to April 17, 2023, which is more than the total for all of 2023.

Across the border in Myanmar, temperatures reached 45C.

In the Philippines, 47,000 schools suspended in-person classes due to extreme heat, and fire incidents have risen by 24% due to overheating electric fans and power overloads.

Asia has experienced a high number of extreme weather events in recent years.

In a new report, the World Meteorological Organization reported that many countries in the region experienced their hottest year on record in 2023, with extreme conditions including droughts, heatwaves, floods, and storms.

Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stated that climate change intensified the frequency and severity of these events, leading to significant impacts on societies, economies, and human lives and the environment.