RAJSHAHI, Dec 29, 2018 (BSS)- Farmers have become very much anxious over
their standing crops like potato and irri-boro paddy due to the prevailing
mild cold wave in the region.
Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE), said here today that the adverse weather is detrimental to
potato and seedbed of irri-boro paddy. Potato may be attacked with late
bright while the paddy seedlings with cold injuries.
He said the field level DAE staff were given instruction of standing beside
the farmers with need-based suggestions so that the farmers can protect their
crops from the adverse weather.
The unusual cold weather is disrupting normal life in the city and its
adjacent areas for the last couple of days as the difference between maximum
and minimum temperature was furthermore reduced here during the last 24
hours.
The minimum temperature marked further falls at most places of the
district, making lives of low-income group of people miserable.
Normal works including farm activities remained affected and fewer people
were found out of their homes due to shivering cold.
Local Met office recorded the season’s ever lowest temperature of 5.8
degrees Celsius this morning against the yesterday’s 6 degrees Celsius making
the business of warm clothes more vibrant.
Meanwhile, life of the people living in the slums and chars on the Ganges
basin has become worst as they experience more cold biting than that of the
mainland.
Md Muniruzzaman, president of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industries,
said the unusual situation has been preventing people from going outside of
residences particularly in the morning and the evening.
The suffering of daily wage earners such as day labourers, rickshaw pullers
and farm labourers has intensified due to the cold.
The number of patients suffering from cough, fever, asthma and other acute
respiratory tract infections sharply increased at different hospitals
including Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) for the last couple of
days, said Dr Mahbubur Rahman Khan, professor of Department of Medicine in
RMCH.
In addition to the sufferings of the people, particularly the poor,
cultivation, especially potato, chilli and seedbed of Irri-Boro might be
affected if the situation prolongs, said Shamsul Alam, deputy director of
DAE.
Meanwhile, the district and upazila administrations, authorities,
organizations, public and private bodies and many NGOs have intensified
distribution of warm clothes among the distressed cold-hit people.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Aminul Islam told BSS that
38,000 blankets were already allocated for distribution among the cold-
stricken people in nine upazilas and 10,000 for city areas.