Things are heating up in Bangkok

As the scorching summer sun beats down relentlessly on the heart of Bangkok, making the sweltering heat ripple across the overheated concrete, a small group of people find unexpected relief in an impromptu « cooling center, » transforming these islands of coolness into veritable lifelines.

Locals and tourists alike are now invited to take refuge inside these spaces to escape the most critical months of the hot season, which typically runs from March to May.

The situation has become alarming: according to municipal authorities, the metropolis experienced at least 19 consecutive days of « hazardous » heat index levels—a measure combining actual temperature and humidity to assess how hot the human body feels—until mid-April.

Faced with this climate threat, the city deployed an impressive network of 313 indoor cooling centers, strategically located in schools, public health centers, city halls, and cultural centers, complemented by 279 outdoor cooling points: shaded, green spaces equipped with water fountains and seating.

The effectiveness of this system is proven by the numbers: more than 120,000 people used these facilities in the past month.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) emphasizes that these centers are deliberately located near the most densely populated areas, allowing more than 80% of users to reach them on foot from their homes.

This emergency response, however, comes within a worrying global context; a recent report from the ASEAN Energy Centre (ACE) reveals that these extreme heat waves are no longer isolated episodes but are becoming a long-term structural crisis for cities in Southeast Asia.

The organization predicts an inevitable increase in average temperatures and the number of days of extreme heat, forcing major cities to completely rethink their urban planning and health security to protect the most vulnerable populations and tourists.