:sharpen(level=0):output(format=jpeg)/up/dt/2011/07/5644c9608b8bbe9e519e30607810a20b.jpg "Henry Schein Supports Brazil Flood Relief Efforts with Donations and Fundraising")
As a blistering heatwave continues to affect Southeast Asia, a village in Thailand has resorted to an unconventional method to seek rain. In Phayuha Khiri District, located in the central Nakhon Sawan province, villagers hoisted a Japanese manga cat named Doraemon in an attempt to break the ongoing drought. The villagers paraded a tinsel-decked cage containing the stuffed toy through the village while sprinkling it with water. This practice is a modern take on an old dry season ritual known as “Hae Nang Meaw,” which traditionally involved parading a female cat. However, most villagers now use dolls like Doraemon or HelloKitty instead.
Meanwhile, in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand, the intense heat caused railway tracks to buckle. With temperatures reaching 41 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit), railway workers had to douse the tracks with water to bend them back into shape. The State Railway of Thailand attributed the warping of the tracks between Ron Phibun and Khao Chum Thong on April 30 to the “extreme heat.” After an hour-long dousing, the tracks became usable again. Deputy state railway governor Jaray Rungthani stated that engineers would closely monitor the situation in the coming days due to the persistently high temperatures.
The heatwave affecting the region, from Bangladesh to the Philippines, has strained energy grids and led to the closure of schools, forcing millions of children to stay home. While the El Nino phenomenon contributes to this year’s exceptionally warm weather, Asia is also experiencing a faster rate of warming compared to the global average, according to the UN’s World Meteorological Organization.
