STORY: Heatwave hits taxi drivers' wallets in Myanmar
SHOOTING TIME: April 29, 2024
DATELINE: May 5, 2024
LENGTH: 00:04:33
LOCATION: YANGON, Myanmar
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of taxi in Yangon, Myanmar
2. various of streets in Yangon, Myanmar

STORYLINE:

The scorching temperatures gripping many parts of Myanmar have significantly impacted people's daily lives, particularly affecting the livelihoods of taxi drivers.

The reports released by Myanmar's Department of Meteorology and Hydrology showed that many areas in the Southeast Asian country have experienced temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius in recent days.

As the mercury has soared across Myanmar, the Ministry of Health has issued advisories, urging citizens to take necessary precautions to safeguard their well-being and providing guidelines for staying safe during extreme heat and minimizing exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation.

In Yangon, the temperatures have been above 40 degrees Celsius in recent days, according to the country's weather agency.

U Thein Tan, a cycle taxi driver in Mandalay, said, "My income has halved in the recent hot days." Mandalay, the second-largest city in Myanmar, boasts a higher number of cycle drivers compared to car drivers.

"Only people who have to go out were out in the hot afternoons. Most people avoided going out because of the heat in the recent hot days," he said.

On April 28, Mandalay had its hottest April day in 77 years, with the temperature reaching 44.8 degrees Celsius. More than 50 people died of heatstroke in Mandalay in April, local media reported.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Yangon, Myanmar.
(XHTV)