Severe heatwave in Iran forces government to shutter offices, banks

Iran is witnessing a severe heatwave that has forced authorities to cut operating hours at various facilities on Saturday (Jul27) and order all government and commercial institutions to shutter the following day. Citing weather reports, a report by the news agency Associated Press said that the temperature rangedfrom 37 degrees Celsius to 43 degrees Celsius in Tehran.

On Sunday, banks, offices, and public institutions across the country would closeto protect people’s health and conserve energy due to rising temperatures. Only emergency services and medical agencies would be excluded, the report said.

Over 200 treated for heatstroke

Babak Yektaparast, the spokesperson of Iran's emergency department, told state media that225 people had to seek medical help for heatstroke, adding that some had to be hospitalised.

Meanwhile, an official at theNational Meteorological Organization said thattemperatures reached over 45 degrees Celsiusin 10 provinces, with the highest temperature of 49.7 degrees Celsius recorded in the last 24 hours in Dalgan, the southeastern city in Sistan and Baluchistan province which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The spokesperson saida drop in temperature was expected on Monday (Jul 29), but warned this did not mean that the air would cool down.

People asked to stay indoors

State media urgedpeople to stay indoors until 5 pm local time as authorities cut working hours on Saturday in many provinces due to the sweltering heat.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.

In 2023, the government ordered a two-day national holiday due to increasing temperatures.

(With inputs from agencies)