Asadul Islam does not know much about climate change or El Niño. But the 56-year-old rickshaw puller can clearly feel that the heat has become more intense than before. One day in June, he became dizzy and collapsed while riding his rickshaw in the capital’s Manipuripara. Asadul said, “This happens to many people now. The heat is getting much worse.”

There is no relief even after work. He shares a small, cramped room with several other rickshaw pullers. The room becomes hot during the day and does not cool down easily at night.

Asadul’s experience is not an isolated one. A new study has found that, on average, an outdoor worker loses 23.7 working days a year because of extreme heat, while an indoor worker loses 13.5 working days. Losses from reduced working days and heat-related health problems amount to Tk 770 billion annually.