A moderate cold wave sweeping through the south-west and north-eastern regions of the country, bringing in heavy fog and chilly winds, has disrupted life. It is also causing cold related diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia among children and the elderly.
At Thakurgaon, one of the sub-Himalayan districts in the north-west, at least 200 children suffering from either diarrhoea or pneumonia were admitted to the sadar hospital of the district in the past few days.
Our correspondent from Panchagarh, another sub-Himalayan district, reports that at least 26 children were admitted to the Debiganj upazila hospital. People have not seen the sun for the past two days owing to dense fog, accentuating the cold with chilly northern winds blowing down from the snow-capped Himalayas.
The poor, who are passing their nights on railway platforms and bus stations, are the worst sufferers. They are feebly trying to fend off the biting cold by lighting fires with scrap, rags and twigs.
While the country is still smarting from the political turmoil over the recently concluded parliamentary poll, the cold and fog are posing more problems for transport workers. Buses and other modes of transport are rushing through the highways with headlights on to beat the fog and occasional bomber or stone-thrower, to carry passengers, essentials and other goods.
With the dipping mercury, prices of warm clothes, especially blankets, pullovers and sweaters, have soared, putting an extra burden on people whose incomes have dwindled due to the protracted political impasse.
The Panchagarh district administration has distributed about 5,000 blankets among the needy and impoverished.
On Thursday, the temperature fell to 6.1 degree Celsius at Chuadanga, making it difficult for people to cope with the bitter cold. The fog is disrupting ferry services and affecting loading and unloading of ships at the Mongla port.
Vessel movement on the Paturai-Dauladia ferry route was suspended for nine hours on Thursday till the sun shone through the dense fog. Ferry services on Mawa- Kawrakandi routes were also disrupted for eight hours because of the fog.
Six ferries carrying 600 passengers and a large number of vehicles remained stranded in the middle of the Padma from Wednesday night due to the fog, Bangladesh Internal Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) sources said. Besides, a large number of passengers are suffering from the shutdown of ferry services.
A cold wave is also sweeping through Rangpur and Barisal divisions and the regions of Tangail, Faridpur, Madaripur, Rangamati Hatiya and Satkhira, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said.
Moderate to thick fog over the river basins and light to moderate fog may occur elsewhere in the country during Thursday midnight till morning, the met office said in its forecast for the next 24-hours.
-With The Independent input
