Cold wave continued to sweep over the country with the mercury level dropping in all the northern districts for the third consecutive day on Thursday.
Launch and ferry services remained suspended during the night all over the country due to dense fog.
The lowest temperature in the country was recorded at 4.6 degree Celsius in Jessore while all the northern districts had a temperature below 7 degree Celsius, Meteorological Department in Dhaka said.
Our Correspondent in Manikganj said ferry and launch services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route was suspended for seven and a half hours after Wednesday midnight, creating long tailbacks on both sides of the river and causing immense sufferings to the passengers.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation’s Aricha sector commerce manager Ashraf Ullah Khan said the ferry and launch movement had been completely stalled since 2:30am Thursday.
Six ferries – Bir Shrestha Zahangir, Bir Shrestha Motiur Rahman, Keramat Ali, Shah Ali, Shah Jalal, and Kapoty – had remained stranded in the middle of the river for eight hours with passengers and vehicles on board in thick fog. The services resumed at 9:45am, Khan said.
Our Correspondent in Munshiganj said ferry services on the Mawa-Kaorakandi route had remained suspended for about nine hours from 2:00am to 11:00am on Thursday due to dense fog.
Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the Padma and the authorities had to deploy additional law-enforcers to ensure security of the travelers, said BIWTC assistant general manager M Ashiquzzaman of Mawa point.
Our Correspondent in Rajshahi said the local Met office recorded the temperature at 4.8 degree Celsius, the lowest one in the last eight years.
The biting cold disrupted normal life forcing most people to stay indoors while life was hard for day-labourers, farmers, and rickshaw-pullers.
The cold front with mild chilly wind and heavy fog has also given rise to cold-related diseases all over the country with hospitals and clinics receiving an increasing number of patients with cough, fever, asthma and other respiratory problems.
Our Correspondent in Barisal said the suffering of the people in the southern region continued on Thursday with road and river communications remaining disrupted for six to 10 hours because of thick fog.
The lowest temperature recorded in Barisal was 7 degree Celsius on Thursday, local Met office said.
BIWTC sources said Rocket steamer PS Turn reached Barisal at 10:40am and PS Mahsud reached Dhaka after 9:30am, late by more than three hours.
The sources also said they received reports of many water transports being stuck in shoals due to low visibility.
Dhaka Met office said moderate to thick fog might occur over Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dhaka, and Sylhet divisions while the river basins might experience light to moderate fog.
