Northern people heave relief as temperature continues rising

The chilling weather continued improving for the third consecutive day today following a further rise in minimum and maximum temperatures bringing huge easiness to people in the northern region. 

Earlier, severe cold gripped the region as both maximum and minimum temperatures were on a decreasing trend making minimum temperatures between 9 and 12 degrees Celsius for the last few days. 

However, the cold situation started becoming easier since last Friday when the sun came out penetrating the thick blankets of fog from the morning in most places of the sub-Himalayan northern districts.

Residents said vehicular movements on roads and highways and activities in business centres, markets, hats and bazaars, bus stands terminals, and rail stations gained momentum and remained normal today for the third consecutive day.

The met office recorded the country's lowest temperature 9.7 degrees Celsius at 6am today at the northernmost town of Tentulia in Panchagarh. 

Besides, the minimum temperatures recorded today were 14.5 degrees Celsius at Rangpur, 13 degrees each at Dinajpur, Saidpur, and Rajarhat, and 12.5 degrees at Dimla in the region. 

The maximum temperatures ranged between 24 degrees and 26.6 degrees Celsius on Friday and between 27.5 degrees and 28.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday as the trend continues in the northern region. 

Following the further improvement of the situation, common people and farm- and day- laborers started normal activities everywhere including remote char areas and Boro rice seedling plantation got momentum today.

"The chilling weather may continue to improve until 8 January in the northern region where there is a possibility of another mild cold wave again from 9 January," the Head of the Rangpur Meteorological Office Md Mostafizar Rahman told BSS this noon.

The district administrations, NGOs, voluntary, sociocultural, and political organisations, trade bodies, different banks, and affluent people are continuing the distribution of warm clothes among cold-hit people in all eight districts of Rangpur division.

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer for Rangpur Md Motahar Hossain said the distribution of 30,000 pieces of blankets, allocated by the government or purchased locally, among cold-stricken people of the district continues.

Talking to BSS, Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Obaidur Rahman Mondal said the growing of winter crops and Boro seedlings would not be affected if the weather continues improving. 

Agriculturalist Md Mamunur Rashid, PhD Fellow at the Department of Agricultural Extension of Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University in Dinajpur said the trend of climatic nature has become almost erratic as a result of the adverse impacts of climate change.

"Due to behavioural changes in weather patterns, temperatures in the northern regions drop almost every day in the morning and rise again in the afternoon. Therefore, despite short-term mild cold waves, crop growth is not hampered," he said.

Reports from rural and riverine char areas said the sufferings of people in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts eased to some extent today.