BANGKOK -
Animals at Bangkok's zoo are being fed
special frozen fruit pops. People are flocking to shopping malls just to soak
up the air-conditioning. Authorities are telling people to stay out of the
blazing sun to avoid heat stroke.
April in
Thailand is typically hot and sweaty, but this year's scorching weather has set
a record for the longest heat wave in at least 65 years.
The
average peak temperature each day this month has been above 40 degrees Celsius
(104 degrees Fahrenheit), with the mercury spiking one day to 44.3 degrees C
(111.7 F) — just short of the all-time record.
The heat
wave has also fueled a new record for energy consumption and prompted health
warnings on everything from foodborne illness to drowning, both of which rise
every April when Thailand's hottest month coincides with school summer break.
"As
of now we can say we've broken the record for the highest temperatures over the
longest duration in 65 years — and the season isn't over yet," said
Surapong Sarapa, head of the Thai Meteorological Department's weather forecast
division. Thailand began keeping national weather records after 1950.
On this
very day, April 27, in 1960, Thailand posted its hottest day ever recorded with
44.5 degrees Celsius (112 F) in the northern province of Uttaradit.
Countries
across Southeast Asia are feeling the heat, which scientists say is triggered
by El Nino, a warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather
worldwide and tends to push global temperatures up. El Nino has also been
blamed for causing the worst drought in decades across the region.
Thailand's
Department of Disease Control has warned people to beware of food poisoning and
other food-related illnesses that typically increase during hot weather when
bacteria can thrive on unrefrigerated food.
"Stay
indoors, try to limit activity outdoors. Wear sunglasses, wear hats with large
brims. Drink more water than usual," the disease control center said in a
statement this week. It also reminded of the increased risk of drowning in hot
weather as children flock to Thailand's beaches, ponds and lakes to take a
swim.
"Do
not let young children out of your sight for even a brief moment," the
statement said, noting that an average of 90 children die every month in
Thailand from drowning but that number increases to about 135 in April.
Thais are
used to the heat. April typically brings an average of 38-degree C (100 F)
days. The current stretch of sweltering weather has been a main topic of
conversation, but people are taking it in stride.
"This
April is so hot. I've got the air conditioner AND fan turned on at home. And
I'm keeping ice cream in my fridge at all times," said Jarossanon
Thovicha, a 30-year-old Bangkok resident who works in the fashion industry and
is living in fear of her next electricity bill.
"My
husband and I have been going out to the mall and spending time there over the
weekends to save on electricity at home," she said.
Nationwide,
energy consumption set a record high on Tuesday at 29,004.6 megawatts, said the
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. It was the latest in a series of
peaks reached earlier this month, and EGAT is urging the public not to keep air
conditioners on all day.
"We
are asking for public cooperation in conserving energy for one-hour a day from
2 p.m. to 3 p.m. until May 20," the national power utility said in a
statement Tuesday.
In
Cambodia, the hot weather was blamed for the death of an elephant trained to
carry tourists at the famed Angkor Wat temple compound. Local media carried
pictures of the pachyderm which collapsed last Friday and quoted the Angkor
Elephant company as saying she had apparently died of a heart attack due to
high temperatures and lack of wind.
The Dusit
Zoo in Bangkok says it's taking extra precautions so its animals stay safe.
"Monkeys
and apes at the zoo are getting fruit popsicles," said Saowaphang Sanannu,
head of conservation and research at Bangkok's main zoo.
Oranges,
watermelon, pineapple and other fruit get chopped up, mixed with fruit juice or
water and is then frozen for the chimpanzees, orangutans and other primates.
Bears already have waterfall displays in their habitats, so can take dips
whenever they want, and are getting the same fruit pops as the others.
"Tigers
are getting meat popsicles. We'll freeze pork legs and chunks of meat to feed
them and cool them off at the same time," Saowaphang said. "Deer,
giraffe and elephants get increased shade and sprinklers to provide rain and
decrease the heat on the ground."
Temporary
relief is forecast later this week with scattered tropical storms. But it will
be brief, with the heat expected to return next week before tapering off in
mid-May when the monsoon rains are expected.
By
Jocelyn Gecker and Natnicha Chuwiruch
Associated
Press
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