Muscat: Several wilayats in the Sultanate of Oman have reported temperatures around 40°C and above in the past few days.
According to Oman Meterology, places such as Barka reported 42.6°C, Rustaq 42.5°C, Suwaiq 42.3°C, and Wadi al Maawil 42.3°C among others.
As for the forecast for Sunday, the wilayat of Seeb was expected to have maximum temperatures of 40°C, Amerat 41°C, Ibri 43°C, Sur 43°C, Sur 39°C and Salalah 33°C
The coldest places in the country are Jabel Shams 17°C and Saiq 26°C.
The minimum temperatures have been crossing 30°C in most of the governorates during this period.
According to WHO, exposure to heat is increasing due to climate change, and this trend will continue. Globally, extreme temperature events are observed to be increasing in frequency, duration, and magnitude.
Exposure to excessive heat has wide-ranging physiological impacts on all humans, often amplifying existing conditions and resulting in premature death and disability.
The negative health impacts of heat are predictable and largely preventable with specific public health actions.
How does heat impact health?
Heat gain in the human body can be caused by a combination of external heat from the environment and internal body heat generated from metabolic processes. Rapid rises in heat gain due to exposure to hotter-than-average conditions compromise the body’s ability to regulate temperature and can result in a cascade of illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia.
Heat also has important indirect health effects. Heat conditions can alter human behavior, the transmission of diseases, health service delivery, air quality, and critical social infrastructure such as energy, transport, and water. The scale and nature of the health impacts of heat depend on the timing, intensity, and duration of a temperature event, the level of acclimatization, and the adaptability of the local population, infrastructure and institutions to the prevailing climate.
