At least eight people, including a woman, died from heat stroke in Sherpur and Habiganj districts in three days till Thursday, according to a UNB report.

Meanwhile, there seems to be no immediate end to this condition and the heat wave will remain high for about another week as the monsoon has remained stagnant near the Akiab coast in Myanmar, some 70km off Teknaf, for the last couple of days, the duty forecasting officer of the met office yesterday told The Daily Star.

The intensified heat wave and high humidity levels hindered life at all levels, as people are falling ill or show reluctance to leave home in the sweltering heat.

With the blistering hot spell continuing across the country, most of the educational institutions in the Port City announced an early summer vacation this year, another UNB report says.

Scarcity in water supply and frequent power failure have worsened the situation. Until yesterday the load shedding was around 800MW in the country with 200MW in Chittagong alone on Thursday as the power generation at the Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Station and Raozan Power Station went down.

Acute water crisis in many areas especially of Dhaka and the Port City has compounded sufferings of the dwellers of the two cities.

The meteorological department told The Daily Star that temperatures yesterday remained steady all over the country, including capital Dhaka.

Temperature was relatively higher in the west, north and central regions of the country than in the south and east regions.

The highest temperature yesterday was recorded in Jessore at a scorching 41.8 degrees Celsius. In the capital the temperature was recorded as 35.7 degrees Celsius.

Met officials said it is a relatively light heat wave when the temperature hovers around 36-38 degrees Celsius, and the heat wave is at a medium level when the temperature rises to around 40 degrees Celsius. The heat wave is considered intense with temperature around 40-44 degrees Celsius.

The suffering of people is also to continue in the face of the continuing heat wave. In the capital, fares for manually drawn rickshaws, vans and pushcarts are on the rise due to the unbearable working conditions.

"I have been drinking saline water every half an hour to counter the severe sweating. The heat is like hell and it would not be possible pulling rickshaw if I do not drink a lot of water," a rickshaw-puller said yesterday.

Sales of seasonal fruits, iced juices, and ice cream have also gone up from the high demand to cool the body, and the sales persons are also taking advantage of the situation hiking prices of these products.

Reuters adds: A heat wave sweeping India, Bangladesh and Nepal has killed nearly 100 people over the past two weeks.

Severe heat conditions in Andhra Pradesh and in neighbouring Orissa have killed at least 55 people, officials in the two states said.

While temperatures have fallen from a high of 45 degrees Celsius in Andhra Pradesh to around 40 degrees, giving a respite to people, they are still on the rise in Orissa with Talcher town registering 48.5 degrees Celsius, a weather official said.

At least five people have died in Nepal from extreme heat, the government said.