Dhangadhi, June 2:

Normal life here has been affected since the past few days on account of the steadily rising temperature. The movement of people has reduced and the heat is having an adverse effect on the business sector.

Very few rickshaws are plying here these days. “Since there is hardly any passenger during the day, I ply my rickshaw in the morning and evening only,” a rickshaw puller Khusiram Chaudhari said.

The soaring temperature has brought in its wake dysentery, typhoid and malaria here and the number of patients is on the rise. Patients suffering from dysentery, typhoid and malaria come to the hospital for treatment in the summer, Dr Ganesh Bahadur Singh at Seti Zonal Hospital said. Five persons died of heatstroke in Dhangadhi last year.

A transport entrepreneur Sita Poudel said the number of bus passengers has also gone down. The temperature reached 40.4 degrees Celsius yesterday. This is the maximum recorded here so far this year, hydrology assistant at the Attariya field office of Hydrology and Meteorology Rajesh Kumar Mahato said, adding that the maximum temperature last year was 44 degrees Celsius last June and 46.4 degrees Celsius in June 1995.

There are signs of further rise in temperature over the next two weeks, Mahato said, adding that there was little chance of rain. He said that the monsoon is expected to break early this year.