The average maximum temperature in Dhaka was 6.5 per cent higher during the seven days that ended on Tuesday (Apr 18), compared with the week before, government data showed.
The maximum temperature soared to 42.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday in the west of the country.
“People, especially children and the elderly, are suffering a lot. We express our sincere sympathy and sorrow for this untold suffering,” Minister of Energy Nasrul Hamid said in a Facebook post late on Tuesday.
The weather office has warned that there is no end in sight for the heatwave as the country prepares for the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of Ramadan this weekend.
“We were expecting that sales would pick up this week but due to the severe power cuts, there are hardly any buyers,” said Abdul Karim, a shopkeeper in Chittagong.
Overall electricity supply fell short of demand by 6.2 per cent over the seven days to Tuesday, government data showed, as demand surged nearly 15 per cent compared with the preceding seven days.