A heatwave is sweeping the country, mild to moderate in some places and severe in others. The sultry heat has made life miserable for people and animals alike, and nationwide load-shedding has doubled the suffering.

The risk of heatstroke is rising steadily for both people and animals. Every day, besides people, livestock that farmers have raised with high hopes are falling victim to heatstroke. Farmers in Meherpur are spending their days worrying about the cattle they have prepared for Qurbani.

According to the district livestock office, farmers in Meherpur have prepared 1,90,520 animals for Qurbani this year, of which about 50,000 are cattle and 1,26,069 are goats. The district's Qurbani demand is 90,112, and the surplus of 1,00,408 animals will be sold in different parts of the country. Many farmers raise cattle especially to sell at the Qurbani markets in the capital.

Tuhin Masud, a farmer in Shalika village of Meherpur Sadar upazila, said keeping the temperature bearable is essential when fattening cattle. Fans must run for the cattle in this heat, but widespread load-shedding is severely disrupting that. Many cattle have stopped eating in the unbearable heat, so he is worried.

Rana, a returned migrant worker from Bamondi village in Gangni upazila, said: "I went abroad through a broker and came home penniless, then started farming. About a year ago I bought a bull and began raising it, planning to sell it this Qurbani Eid. Five days ago a trader offered Tk 1.5 lakh. But the bull suddenly had heatstroke, so I slaughtered it and sold the meat at Tk 450 a kg. It did not even come to Tk 1 lakh. There is a fan in the cattle shed in this heat, but there is no electricity all day."

Farmer Fantu Hossain said: "There is severe load-shedding in the heat. I am very worried about my cattle in this weather. They cannot eat as much as they used to each day. And there is no way to keep them somewhere cool. There is no electricity most of the day."

Insan Ali of Monakhali village in Mujibnagar upazila claims to have the country's best bull, weighing 60 maunds. To save it from the intense heat he has installed a solar panel at a cost of Tk 40,000, and he bathes the animal three times a day, because he would suffer a big loss if anything happened to it.

Sahabuddin, a farmer in Ballavpur village of the same upazila, said: "I am raising 20 cattle this year. One is a big animal that now weighs about 1,800 kg, and I am asking Tk 17 lakh for it. There are still about 15 days before it goes to Dhaka. With no rain and intense heat, there is no electricity all day."

He added: "For a week now my wife and I have had to stay up all night fanning it with hand fans. If I can sell it at the right price, all the hardship will be over. The bigger the cattle, the bigger the tension."

Md Saidur Rahman, officer in charge at the district livestock office, said Meherpur, like the rest of the country, is in a severe heatwave. To protect livestock, sheds must be kept cool, water sprayed on tin roofs and fans provided. Cattle should be bathed three times a day or have water sprinkled on them, and given saline. Animals must not be tied up outside in high temperatures, and from 10am to 3pm they should be kept in naturally shaded places rather than in closed sheds.

He said feed should be reduced in extreme heat and increased during the cooler hours. Deworming and vaccination should be avoided in intense heat, and mineral mixture blocks can be supplied if possible. Following these guidelines will reduce the risk of heatstroke in livestock.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.