Bangkok: Suriyan Wongwan sweats as he waits to obtain the food to be delivered by motorbike as Thailand bakes through a heatwave in Bangkok’s main Siam Square.
” I’m afraid of getting heatstroke”, the 51- yr- ancient told AFP as the metal hit 37 degrees Celsius, with moisture pushing the “real feel” to a thick 43 degrees Celsius.
Southeast Asia’s extreme heat has broken record temperatures and forced millions of kids to stay at home as schools nearer across the area.
According to experts, climate change causes heatwaves to last long, last longer, and get stronger, and the El Nino phenomenon is also responsible for this year’s remarkably warm weather.
Workers who work for them and work all day are among those who are hardest hit, such as the bike riders who deliver food and provide car trips through Bangkok’s traffic-heavy streets.
” My self- defense is to drink more water, so I can hold myself and not go out”, Suriyan said.
” In warm conditions like this, I drink whenever I area my bike”.
The air-conditioned shops where he picks up his deliveries provide some relief, but he worries that the sudden change in temperature could make him ill.