Extreme heat wave engulfs Iran

TEHRAN: Iranian banks and most government institutes will be closed on Sunday and people were asked to avoid leaving home as the country faces a scorching heatwave, state media said.

At least 225 Iranians have been hospitalised due to the extreme heat since Friday, the national emergency service said, while officials reported record energy consumption.

“Banks and other public institutions will be closed on Sunday in order to protect people’s health and conserve energy,” said a government statement shared by official news agency IRNA.

It noted that “emergency and relief agencies are excluded” from the nationwide shutdown.

The temperature ranged from 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to 42 C (about 107 F) in the capital, Tehran, according to weather reports.

State-run IRNA news agency said banks, offices, and public institutions across the country close on Sunday to protect people’s health and conserve energy, due to extreme temperatures and that only emergency services and medical agencies would be excluded.

A spokesman for the country’s emergency department told the semi-official Mehr news agency 225 people had to seek medical help for heatstroke, adding that some had to be hospitalized.

An official at the National Meteorological Organization, was quoted as saying Saturday that the temperature reached over 45 C (113 F) in 10 Iranian provinces, with the highest temperature of 49.7 C (about 121 F) recorded in the last 24 hours in Delgan, the southeastern city in Sistan and Baluchistan province which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He added a drop in temperature was expected Monday, with the heat letting up a bit, but still, he warned that “this does not mean that the air will cool down.”

Authorities also cut working hours on Saturday in many provinces due to the sweltering heat, IRNA reported, adding that high temperatures, over 40 C (104 F), have been registered in Tehran since Friday. Iranian media also warned people to stay indoors until 5 pm local time.

Authorities also said electricity consumption reached record levels of 78,106 megawatts on Tuesday, as the scorching heat persisted and people tried to stay cool.

Nournews, close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported Wednesday that Iran’s temperature is rising at twice the pace of the global temperature which has increased by more than one degree compared to the long-term average. Meanwhile, Iran has become warmer by 2 degrees over the past 50 years, the agency said.

Last year, Iran ordered a two-day nationwide holiday due to increasing temperatures.