Northern dists shiver with cold
Three people of a family try to get warmth under a single piece of blanket at Boirati village in Kaliganj upazila of Lalmonirhat district on Friday as char (landmass emerged from riverbed) areas beside the Teesta River bear the brunt of the ongoing cold wave. Right, traders of second hand warm clothes set their makeshift shops just beside the rail tracks in Saidpur municipality under Nilphamari district, oblivious of risk of accident anytime. Photo: STAR
The northern districts are bearing the brunt of the cold spell that has been sweeping the country for the last two days. People are experiencing a severe cold weather coupled with foggy atmosphere. The cold spell is hampering normal life in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts. Severity of the cold becomes bone chilling when freezing wind starts blowing at night in the districts, report our correspondents. The poor section of people is worst hit due to the inclement weather. Most day-labourers, workers and rickshaw-pullers of the districts do not dare to go out for work as they do not have warm clothes. Traffic moving along the streets of the district towns becomes unusually thin because of poor visibility caused by dense fog. Met office sources in Saidpur told our Nilphamari correspondent that temperature in the district fell drastically in mid December, audit often fluctuates between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius, paralysing normal life. People of low and middle-income groups are crowding second hand clothe markets to buy warm clothes at cheaper price. Taking advantage of the adverse weather, a section of second hand warm clothe traders has set up a make-shift market beside railway tracks within 200 metres of Saidpur railway station. Everyday thousands of people from about 15 upazilas of adjoining districts crowd the market to purchase old clothes. Railway sources informed that everyday inter-city and local passenger trains use the rail tracks 10-12 times to go to different destinations. A number of goods trains also arrive and depart from Saidpur rail station. “The situation has become a cause of great concern as fatal train accidents may occur anytime as hawkers crowed the rail tracks from morning, till mid night,†said Aktar Hossain Khan, president of small garments owners association in Saidpur. Officer in-charge of Saidpur rail PS Md. Jasimuddin said that recently he received a letter from Saidpur station master urging to evict the illegal traders from the sides of rail tracks for smooth movement of trains. “A mobile court will soon drive away the illegal traders,†he said. Our Lalmonirhat correspondent said, the poor people, especially of char areas along Teesta and Dharla rivers, have become worst sufferers as there is no job for them due to severe cold and dense fog. Local people said that the bone chilling weather disrupted normal life in five upazilas of the district for the last twelve days. Day-labourer Mobarok Hossain, 45, of Char Boirati village in Teesta river basin in Kaliganj uapzila said, "I can't go to work in the field for the last several days due to heavy cold and dense fog". "As we have no warm clothes, I and my wife Jahanara and son Mintu are undergoing sufferings", he added. Monowara Bewa, 68, of Char Kalmati village in Sadar upazila said that she is yet to get any warm clothe from any government or non-government organisation. "I am suffering much as I am unable to purchase any warm clothe," she said. The extreme cold weather has also caused outbreak of diarrhea, pneumonia and other diseases in the districts. People, especially children and the elderly, are mostly attacked with the cold-related diseases. Sources in Lalmonirhat claimed that at least two people were killed in the last couple of days due to cold and in Gaibandha, 9 were killed in the last two weeks. According to Rangpur Met office, the temperature in Gaibandha was 11.2 degrees yesterday. Residential physician at Panchagarh Sadar Hospital Abul Kashem and medical officer Dr Mohammad Monwarul Islam told UNB that the number of people attacked with the cold-related diseases is increasing day by day. At least 21 children inflicted with diarrhoea and pneumonia were being treated at the hospital. In Tentualia upazila, three people died of cold-related diseases in the last two days, sources said. President of Panchagarh Paribesh Parishad and head of the geography and environmental sciences department at Panchagarh Government Women College Touhidul Bari Babu said, impact of climate change is the reason behind the adverse weather. He feared that this year the duration of winter would be longer.
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