Last week, PAGASA declared the start of the so-called “dry season,” or what we had all commonly called the summer season.
With this, notably, comes the usual warning that the temperature in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces could reach as high as 34 degrees Celsius in the coming weeks.
But what should really concern us is the “heat index,” or the temperature that our body feels in our surroundings.
For example, in 2021, Metro Manila’residents actually felt a “heat index” of up to 45 degrees Celsius. That’s in the danger zone in the heat or human discomfort index – and way past the 40 degrees Celsius in which a person could actually experience convulsions due to fever.
Here in Laguna province – most notably in the so-called “Industrial Belt” where most industrial, commercial and residential complexes cluster – residents have felt the full brunt of the summer heat, partially due to the fact that most of our “green cover” has vanished from the landscape, in the name of progress and growth.
That lack of green cover has had temperatures shooting up here in the province, and it’s concerning authorities in more ways than one.
Recently, the cities of San Pedro, Biñan and Santa Rosa have had to deal with a series of grass fires in abandoned lots, a phenomenon seen in the province only recently.
With the heat index reaching discomfort levels, people are more prone to use electric fans and air-conditioning units for long periods. This not only strains our already stretched-thin power supply but also increases the risk of fire in residential areas.
It’s easy to tell residents who had had to deal with hellish temperatures to keep their electricity consumption at minimums or stay out of the sunshine.
But the thing we should be asking our LGUs is what are they doing to ensure that our people will be protected from the worst effects of the summer heat?