Southeast Asia’s office workers reel from energy-saving drive, heatwave
‘The canteen and even the 7-Eleven downstairs are cooler than our office, which is why people end up gathering there,’ a Thai worker says
Many countries have imposed temperature controls at government workplaces since the war began, among other measures to conserve energy. As the prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz drains energy reserves, relief does not look to be coming any time soon, with parts of the region set to bake in abnormally hot conditions in the months ahead.
“Sometimes it even feels hard to breathe,” said Pornpimol Sirimai, who works at the health ministry and has bought electric fans to cool down. “The canteen and even the 7-Eleven downstairs are cooler than our office, which is why people end up gathering there.”
The onset of the El Nino weather system in the summer could make it even worse.
Southeast Asia faces a “double whammy”, said Emi Gui, adjunct associate professor at Monash University in Malaysia. “El Nino is likely to recreate extreme heat conditions, increasing the likelihood for both droughts and floods, threatening lives and agricultural activities.”