Bone-chilling cold hits northern people hard

The season's first bone-chilling cold wave hit people in the northern region hard, forcing them to stay indoors, and vehicles movement on the roads and highways with headlights on in foggy weather all day today.

The local Met Office sources said the minimum and maximum temperatures marked falls during the last 24 hours ending at 6pm reducing the gap between the two temperatures to only 4 to 6 degrees Celsius today causing shivering cold in the region.

The sun remained covered by thick layers of fog and clouds amid a cold wind blowing throughout the day, causing untold suffering to the poor, elderly citizens, and minor children.

The country's lowest temperature of 10.6 degrees Celsius was recorded at Dinajpur today (1 January).

The minimum temperatures recorded today were 12.5 degrees Celsius at Rangpur, 12.4 degrees at Saidpur, 11.6 degrees at Tentulia, 11 degrees at Rajarhat and 12.5 degrees Celsius at Dimla points in the region.

The maximum temperatures marked by significant falls during the last 24 hours ending at 6pm today ranging between 15.2 degrees and 18.6 degrees Celsius in the northern region. 

The maximum temperatures recorded today were 16.1 degrees Celsius at Rangpur, 18.6 degrees at Dinajpur, 16.5 degrees at Saidpur, 15.2 degrees at Tentulia, 16.8 degrees at Rajarhat in Kurigram and 16.5 degrees Celsius at Dimla points in the region.

"The situation may remain unchanged during the next 24 hours in the northern region," Head of the Rangpur Meteorological Office Md Mostafizar Rahman told BSS.

Officials at hospitals, upazila health complexes and community clinics said the number of patients with cough, fever, asthma and other cold-related diseases continued increasing today like in recent days.

Physicians are providing necessary health services to cold-related patients in hospitals and other health service facilities in Rangpur division.

Meanwhile, the district and upazila administrations, NGOs, voluntary and socio-cultural organisations have intensified distribution of warm clothes among cold-stricken people.

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) for Rangpur Md Motahar Hossain said the government has so far allocated 25,000 pieces of blankets in two phases for distribution among cold-stricken people of the district.

"We have already distributed about 19,000 pieces of blankets among cold-affected poor and distressed people as the process continues in the district," he added.

Rangpur Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Rabiul Faisal with DRRO Motahar Hossain and other officials distributed blankets among cold-stricken Bede community people at Ranachandi Uttam Hajirhat area in the outskirts of the city.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at its regional office here said the sweeping cold wave and foggy weather might affect normal growth of different Rabi crop plants if the situation further deteriorates.

Additional Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md Obaidur Rahman Mondal told BSS that field level agriculture officers are assisting farmers in nursing growing winter crop plants and Boro rice seedlings to save those from cold injuries.

Although the situation still remains tolerable, he suggested farmers irrigate Boro rice seedbeds at nights and discharge water in the mornings and keep seedbeds under cover of polythene sheets to save seedlings from foggy weather and cold injuries.

Reports from remote and char areas of Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh said normal life was badly affected today due to shivering cold.