Nishat Tasnim, Knowledge and Influencing Officer at Practical Action Bangladesh, explains how extreme heat issues affect communities and that preparedness must be coordinated along with recommended actions that should be taken.
When a heatwave hits, the immediate danger is clear; working hours reduce, people get ill, and pressure on essential services increases. But the impacts of extreme heat are not determined by temperature alone, they are also shaped by how well communities are prepared. If they are not, the people most at risk will not have the resources and support they need to cope.
Our post-event study of the 2024 heatwave in Khulna, Bangladesh, is an excellent illustration of this. The study found that prolonged high temperatures affected water availability, healthcare services, farming and farmers’ livelihoods .In both urban and rural communities. The study also found that poorer people and marginalised groups suffered more from the impacts of extreme heat than those who were better off.
For Sohel, a single father living with a physical disability in Khulna City Corporation, the experience highlighted how easily people with disabilities can be overlooked in responses to extreme heat.
“Many others like me suffer in silence during the heat. We are ignored, and no one thinks about how the heat affects people with disabilities in multiple ways.”
The scale of the heat experienced in Khulna between March and June 2024 highlights the prolonged nature of the event. Temperature data from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), recorded the following:
A summary of the 2024 temperature data from BMD
| Month | Temperatures and duration |
| March | 35.2°C |
| April | 36°C – 42°C for 22 days
(moderate to severe heatwave) |
| May | 36°C – 42°C for 15 days
(moderate to severe heatwave) |
| June | 36°C – 39°C for 17 days
(mild to moderate heatwave) |
These figures provide important context for understanding the pressures experienced by communities during the heatwave.
For some, the heat threatened their ability to earn a living. Salam, a 70-year-old water seller in Khulna, explained how the conditions affected his business:
“Because of the heat, people cannot come out onto the roads. If they don’t come out, who will I sell water to? My business depends on the availability of people working outside, but the sun is now making us sick.”
For rural households, the consequences extended to their livelihoods. Rice, fruit, fish, livestock and vegetable farming are important parts of Khulna’s agricultural economy. The study found that prolonged heat reduced harvests and caused livestock, fish and shrimp mortality, hitting farmers’ income hard. For Bacchu, a rural smallholder farmer with a physical disability, the heat also made it difficult to work and earn a living.
“Even if I try my best to work, the heat makes everything worse. My feet burn and crack, and walking becomes so painful that I cannot work at all. The sun makes my body weak, and there is limited ways to stay cool in my home.”
The effects of extreme heat extended beyond water supplies and healthcare. In schools, limited shade, inadequate drinking water and a lack of preparation for heat-related illness made it harder to protect pupils. Farmers faced crop losses and rising irrigation costs, while outdoor workers and street vendors struggled to earn a living when temperatures were at their highest. Yet Khulna lacked a dedicated heat action plan, public cooling centres and clear procedures for responding to extreme heat. These gaps highlight the need to build heat preparedness into local planning and essential services before the next heatwave.
The study found that responsibility for managing extreme heat was spread across different institutions, with limited coordination between them. Heat risks were not adequately integrated into local planning, while gaps in early warning systems meant that forecasts and alerts did not always reach communities in a form they could act on. Better coordination among local governments, meteorological services, health authorities, water and agriculture department is needed to ensure that communities receive timely warnings, relevant advisories, and necessary support during heatwaves.
For Khulna, our Post Event Review Capability (PERC) study and accompanying policy brief identify five priorities:
The findings from this work are informing Practical Action’s ongoing work with local partners and government in Khulna to strengthen preparedness for extreme heat. This includes supporting the development of heat action plans, promoting urban cooling through tree planting and other nature-based solutions, and encouraging infrastructure that reduces people’s exposure to heat.
But evidence alone will not protect people from the next heatwave. Forecasts must reach those most at risk, health and water services must be ready, and local plans must reflect the realities of people living and working through extreme temperatures. Khulna’s experience shows why preparing for heat cannot wait until temperatures rise. The time to protect lives and livelihoods is before the next heatwave arrives.
The study was conducted with support from the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, which supports communities and local governments to better understand and manage climate risks.
Our research includes four snapshots on the heatwave’s impacts, a policy brief and an evidence report for further reading.
Nishat Tasnim has nearly four years of experience in climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and urban resilience.
She holds BSc and MS degrees in Disaster Science and Management from the University of Dhaka.
Her work translates community-level evidence into policy recommendations and knowledge products to support risk-informed planning and resilient development. Her particular interests include heatwaves, early warning systems, and nature-based solutions.