RANGPUR, Jan 06, 2018 (BSS) – The sweeping mild to moderate cold wave with cooler winds and dense fogs deteriorated the weather condition disrupting public life in the northern districts today.
The elderly people, women and babies are the worst sufferers, especially in the rural and remote char areas on the river basins, due to the biting cold in the sub-Himalayan northern region.
“The situation deteriorated sharply as the gap between minimum and maximum temperatures reduced to the minimum of 4-5 degrees Celsius today causing immense sufferings to the people,” In-charge of Rangpur Met Office Mohammad Ali said.
“We recorded the minimum gap of only 1 degree Celsius between the minimum temperature of 10 degrees Celsius at 6 am and current temperature of 11 degrees Celsius at 12 noon at Rangpur today,” Ali said.
“The average maximum temperature remained between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius during the past couple of days,” he added.
The minimum temperatures recorded at 6 am today were 8.5 degrees Celsius at Syedpur and 10.2 degrees at Dimla in Nilphamari, 7.4 degrees at Dinajpur, 9.4 degrees at Tentulia in Panchagarh and 10 degrees Celsius at Rajarhat in Kurigram in the region.
Local people said the sun remained covered with thick layers of fogs till noon affecting vehicular traffic and forcing the drivers to put headlights of their vehicles on for averting accidents.
Rangpur District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md Faridul Islam said 54,700 pieces of blankets, allocated so far by the government, were already distributed among the cold-stricken people of all eight upazilas in the district.
“We are expecting to get more allocations of warm clothes from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief tomorrow for distributing those among the cold-hit distressed people,” Haque added.
Meanwhile, different NGOs, business bodies, financial institutions, charitable and other organisations have also started distribution of blankets, sweaters, mufflers and rappers among the cold-hit people in the northern districts.
Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam said the farm-labourers could not conduct normal works and few numbers of people were seen outside homes as the thick layers of fogs covered the sun till noon.
“The cold bite increased immense sufferings to the common people as the sun did not appear till 1 pm today,” he said.
Officials at different hospitals and upazila health complexes said the number of pneumonia, fever, diarrhoea, asthma and respiratory problem related patients marked rise today forcing the doctors to remain very busy.
Similar reports of disruption of normal life were received here today from Kurigram, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur and Nilphamari districts in the region.