Cold wave disrupts public life in northern region

The sweeping mild to moderate cold wave coupled with blowing cooler winds and dense fog deteriorated the weather condition disrupting public life in the northern region today.

Elderly people, women and babies are the worst sufferers, especially in rural and riverine char areas, due to bone-chilling cold in the sub-Himalayan northern region.

Tetulia Meteorological Office has recorded a temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius at 9 am on Friday. The minimum temperature on Thursday was 10 degrees Celsius.

Local people said dense layers of fog cooled with blowing cooler winds from the northwestern directions caused bone-chilling cold, exposing the poor, elderly citizens and minor children to intense miseries till this noon.

The daily normal works of common people and vehicular traffic remained affected and drivers drove their vehicles putting headlights on to avert accidents.

The situation marked little improvement with the appearance of the sun since noon, making life easier for a couple of hours.

The cold bite increased further causing immense suffering to people due to the reduction of the gap between minimum and maximum temperatures to the minimum as clouds and fog covered the sun again after 4:30 pm today. 

Officials at hospitals, upazila health complexes and community clinics said the number of patients with cough, fever, asthma and other cold-related diseases continued increasing today like in recent days forcing the doctors to remain very busy. 

Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman said physicians are providing health services to cold-related patients in hospitals and other health service facilities in the Rangpur division. 

"We have adequate stocks of essential medicines and have taken necessary steps to provide proper treatments to cold-related patients," Dr. Rahman added.

Meanwhile, the district and upazila administrations, NGOs, and voluntary and socio-cultural organisations have further intensified the distribution of warm clothes among cold-stricken people.

Rangpur District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md. Motahar Hossain said the distribution of 75,000 pieces of blankets allocated by the government in two phases continues among cold-stricken people of the district. 

Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Dr. Chitralekha Nazneen has been distributing blankets among cold-hit distressed people for the past few days at different places in the city and other upazilas across the district.

Similar reports of disruption of normal life were received here today from different areas of Kurigram, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur and Nilphamari districts in the region.

With BSS input