Spell to continue for couple of days
Heavy fog with mild to moderate cold wave, sweeping over the northern and southwestern region for the last few days, killed at least four children yesterday affecting many others.
Enveloping the country’s ports and disrupting the key ferry services, the fog of this year’s first cold wave has already put life of people in difficulties.
The frigid weather coupling with the cloudy sky is worsening the life of those living under the open sky. It has compelled some district administration offices to seek warm clothes for helpless and poor folks in their districts.
The mercury yesterday went down to seven degrees Celsius in Jessore and adjoining areas while it was 13.2 degrees Celsius in the capital.
The Met office says the cold spell is likely to continue for a day or two more when the city dwellers might feel very cold due to cloudy weather.
As people are forced stay indoor in such a cold day, attendance at schools, colleges and many offices is getting thinner every day.
According to the Met office, the temperature will remain unchanged today.
Our correspondents from Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Bogra, Rajshahi and Chittagong report on sufferings of the people due to the severe spell of cold.
Many people, especially children and the aged, are being taken to hospitals with respiratory problems and cold-related diarrhoea, the correspondents say.
Four children died in Thakurgaon yesterday while 97 others were undergoing treatment there. The district administration sought 35,000 blankets from the government.
In Panchagarh, many children were being brought to hospitals with complaints of cold-related diseases in the last couple of days, our correspondent reported.
The Lalmonirhat district administration on Thursday noon sent a fax message to the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management for 1,000 warm clothes.
The lowest income groups, especially the farm labourers and about 50,000 people living in the char areas of the Teesta and Dharla rivers of the region, are the worst suffers of the cold patch.
Mosaddeq Hossain, a Union Parishad member, said they only get 20 blankets per 1,000 people which is not all enough.
Our Gaibandha correspondent said Robi crops especially potato, wheat, boro seedling and vegetables will be affected if the cold wave continues for a long time.
-With The Daily Star input
