Feedback on Anticipatory Action for Heatwaves - Interviews with beneficiaries and ward councillor

I recently interviewed a few beneficiaries and a ward councilor while I was in Dhaka. These beneficiaries live in the Lalbagh slums of Old Dhaka.

From my interviews with beneficiaries, I gauged that most beneficiaries end up using the unconditional cash grants given to them under this program to purchase medicines needed to cure heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, etc. At the same time, they talked about how they needed more help from developmental

organizations such as more water bottles, a portable fan, etc. to minimize the impact felt by them due to the heatwave. Some of the common coping mechanisms that they also highlighted are not staying inside their rooms as they heat up due to there being no ventilation, bathing frequently to keep their bodies cool, and not going out to work due to high levels of heat.

Interview with Mr. Musharraf Hussain, Councillor Ward No - 45, Dhaka

During my interview with Mr. Musharraf Hussain, councilor of Ward 45 (This district covers a large part of the Sutrapur area of Dhaka) I also learned that this ward is very congested which causes its residents to experience the worst impacts of heatwaves. Mr. Hussain also elaborated on how this area contains 3 major slums of Dhaka - the biggest one being the Ghuntigor slum (this was the one I visited) - where many hawkers and daily laborers reside. He then also talked about how the services provided by development entities like BDRCS are necessary while also not being enough. He talked about the issue of there being a higher demand for these services while the supply is low. Additionally, the Councillor also highlighted that the people in this area don't take heatwaves seriously and he is trying to change that perception by telling people that heatwaves can have a negative impact on their lives. During my interview, he also stated that he had provided hawkers with large umbrellas to use while working to protect themselves from the heat.

It was wonderful to see that people are benefitting a lot from the great work being done by aid agencies and NGOs. I'm glad that sustainable development is an important priority in developing countries and hope it remains so in the future too!