The severe cold hit the northern districts. Chilling cold weather along with fog forced tens of thousands of people to stay indoors on Saturday as it gripped the northern region in the last 24 hours. As a result, people of the region, especially the low income group ones, are suffering much. Met office sources said the temperature will slightly increase from Monday.
RAJSHAHI: In last few days, the temperature has been fluctuating between 7 and 5 degree Celsius.
Local met office said this season's lowest 5.8 degree Celsius temperature was recorded in Rajshahi on Saturday. Earlier, on Friday, the temperature was recorded at 6 degree Celsius.
Senior Inspector of Rajshahi Met Office Latifa Helen said the cold is being felt more due to decrease of gap between highest and lowest temperature. The humidity in the air was 99 per cent at 6am and 82 per cent at 9am on Saturday.
Acting Officer of the Met Office Abdul Mannan said there was a forecast of a mild-to-medium cold wave across Rajshahi and other areas. Due to the cold wave, mild-to-medium fog may happen.
The cold have has hit poor people as they are suffering much for lack of warm clothes. They are trying to combat cold lighting different stray objects.
Meanwhile, some distribution of warm clothes has started in the district which is far less than demand. Besides, many cold-hit people, especially the children and the old, are getting admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and other private hospitals with cold-related diseases, said emergency section doctor Ariful Haque. On the other hand, farmers are worried as different diseases are affecting different crops including potato.
Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension Deb Dulal Dhali advised farmers to follow the guideline of local agriculture officials. Deputy Commissioner SM Abdul Qader said they have all preparation to combat cold. In the meantime, 37,800 blankets have been allocated and sent to nine upazilas. Besides, 10,000 blankets have been allocated for city areas. RANGPUR: Vehicular movement was disrupted in the district as the mercury level dropped further during the past 24 hours ending at 6 pm, reducing the gap between the maximum and minimum temperature causing bone-chilling cold and exposing the poorer and elderly people and minor children to extreme miseries.
As officials of the district and upazila administrations remain busy in holding the 11th Jatiya Sangsad Election on Sunday, the local authorities are yet to seek extra government allocation of warm clothes for the cold-hit people. According to Rangpur Met Office, minimum temperature of 7.2 degree Celsius was recorded on Saturday against Friday's 8.7 degrees Celsius and maximum of 23.5 degrees against Friday's 23 degree Celsius in Rangpur City.
However, the country's lowest temperature of 5.2 degrees Celsius was recorded on Saturday at Rajarhat, monitoring point in Kurigram District at 6am. Besides, the minimum temperatures recorded on Saturday were 6 degrees Celsius at Dinajpur, 7.5 degrees at Syedpur, 7.2 degrees Celsius at Dimla and 5.8 degrees Celsius at Tentulia points in the sub-Himalayan Panchagarh District. The severity of biting cold forced the commoners to stay indoors affecting normal activities as the sun hid behind dense fogs, mists and clouds amid windy weather almost throughout the day on Saturday.
Clouds, mists and thin layers of fogs apparently gave most parts of the extreme north-western region a gloomy look since the evening. Director of Rangpur Medical College Hospital Dr Ajay Kumar Roy said the number of cold-related patients has increased in the northern districts making the elderly people, children and babies as the worst sufferers. However, Dr Ajay said stock of medicines in the hospital as well as other health facilities were adequate and steps were taken at the government-run health facilities in districts and upazilas to treat the cold-related patients. Meanwhile, different voluntary, professional, socio-cultural and charitable organisations, business bodies and other institutions are extending their hands in distributing warm clothes among the cold-stricken people to mitigate their sufferings. Deputy Director (Local Government) for Rangpur Ruhul Amin Mian informed that distribution of warm clothes continues among the cold-hit distressed people in the district as elsewhere in the northern region.
"The distribution process will get full momentum after the December 30 parliamentary polls when more allocations of blankets from the ministry concerned will be available for distribution of those among the cold-hit people," he added. Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said the prevailing weather might affect normal growth of Rabi crop plants including potato and Boro seedbeds if the situation deteriorates further. "Transplantation of Boro seedling has just began in sub-Humayun northern region and the process is being hampered now as the farm-labourers are failing to conduct normal activities amid shivering cold," he added.
DINAJPUR: The lowest temperature in the district was recorded at 6 degrees Celsius and humidity in air 94 per cent on Saturday. Acting Officer of District Met Office Tofazzal Hossen said the cold wave started from December 27 which continued till December 29. Though the temperature remained the same on Sunday, it will increase a bit from Monday. On Friday last, the lowest temperature was recorded at 8 degrees Celsius and the highest at 17.7 degree Celsius. On Saturday at 9am, the humidity in air was recorded at 94 per cent and 55 per cent at 3pm.
