Part of country shivers in cold

A cold wave has been sweeping part of the country for the last couple of days causing immense sufferings to people, particularly to day labourers.

Children and elderly people have been crowding hospitals with complaints of cold-related ailments.

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People in Tangail, Moulvibazar, Rajshahi, Pabna, Dinajpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Panchagarh and Chuadanga experienced chilly weather yesterday as the mercury fell below 6 degrees Celsius, according to Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Mild to moderate cold wave was blowing in Barisal, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sitakunda of Chittagong, Rangamati, Comilla, Feni, Bogra, Sirajganj, Rangpur, Khulna, Satkhira, Jessore and Kushtia with the temperature ranging between  6 and 10 degrees Celsius.

Yesterday, the country's lowest temperature was recorded in Rajarhat of Kurigram and Tetulia of Panchagarh at 5 degrees Celsius.

Sources at the Met office said the temperature might rise from today.

The chill is being felt not only in Bangladesh, but also in some other parts of the world. In the last one week, a winter cold snap across Europe has killed more than 60 people, reports AFP.

In Panchagarh, chilly weather almost paralysed normal life, mostly affecting poor people and farm labourers as they could not go out for work.

“We depend on daily income. We could not work in the last three days due to biting cold. We are passing days by borrowing money from others,” said farm labourer Mojir Uddin, 52, of Boda upazila.

People, including school and college students, from different backgrounds were going door-to-door for collecting warm clothes to distribute those among the underprivileged ones.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension said agricultural activities were being disrupted due to the cold wave as farmers could hardly work in fields.

In Lalmonirhat, over 500 children were admitted to local hospitals with cold-related illness in the last six days, said sources at hospitals.

“My child has been suffering from pneumonia. He got the disease because of the cold temperature,” said Mazibar Rahman of Khuniyagach village in Lalmonirhat.

In Dinajpur and Rangpur, the dip in mercury levels disrupted normal life. A large number of children with pneumonia were undergoing treatment at local hospitals.

Agriculture experts said Boro seedbeds in the district might be damaged if such weather continued for long.

In Rajshahi, the mercury dropped to 5.1 degree Celsius yesterday, the lowest in four years, said an official at the city Met office.

The cold wave coupled with 7 km/hour morning wind almost paralysed normal life.

Hundreds of people thronged local markets and makeshift shops to buy warm cloths. Many were seen trying to fight cold with bonfires along the streets. Underprivileged people were seen sharing blankets with others at Rajshahi Railway Station and bus terminals in the city.

“I have a blanket, but I can only cover part of my body with it while pulling the rickshaw. I cannot pull the rickshaw in such a cold weather,” said rickshaw-puller Kamruzzaman.

Our correspondents from respective districts contributed to this report.