Prolonged cold wave grips northern dists, threatens livelihoods

A persistent cold wave has gripped northern Bangladesh for several days, intensifying the suffering of poor and marginalized people and threatening their livelihoods.

Panchagarh recorded the country's lowest temperature at 8.3 degrees Celsius in the 24 hours, ending at 9:00am today.

The worst sufferers are people living in riverine char areas along the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Dudhkumar, and Gangadhar rivers, where poverty, inadequate shelter, and lack of warm clothing have compounded the impact of the cold. They are seen burning straw and dry leaves to keep warm

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Farmers and agricultural labourers are finding it increasingly difficult to work in crop fields, while daily wage earners are struggling to sustain their livelihoods. Dense fog and lack of sunshine have further aggravated the situation.

Farmer Ratin Chandra Das, 65, of Gangadaspur village in Rangpur Sadar upazila, said a biting cold has been prevailing for nearly three weeks with no signs of easing. "The cold is gradually becoming more severe. If this continues, survival itself will become difficult. How long can one stay alive by warming the body with a straw fire?" he asked.

Van driver Akkel Ali, 55, of Maheshpur village, said his income has dropped by half. "Due to the cold, I cannot drive the van for long hours," he said. "There was cold in earlier years, but it never lasted this long. When there is sunshine, people can cope with the cold, but this year there is cold without sunshine."

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Amina Bewa, 62, of Fulgach village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila said, "We cannot tolerate hunger along with this biting cold. I do not have sufficient warm clothing, so I burn straw at home in the morning and at night to keep warm."

Agricultural labourer Sobita Rani, 33, from Bisbari village, said, "The biting cold causes immense suffering. I do not want to go out for work, but poverty forces me to leave home."

Farmer Abed Ali, 50, from Shimulbari village, warned that prolonged cold conditions would seriously disrupt agricultural production. "I cannot work properly as I cannot stay long in the fields. If I remain there for an hour, I need to warm myself by burning straw," he said.

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According to the Rangpur Meteorological Office, the minimum temperatures recorded at 9:00am today were 10°C in Rangpur, 10.8°C in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat, 8.3°C in Panchagarh, 11°C in Gaibandha, and 10°C in Thakurgaon and Nilphamari.

Jitendranath Ray, assistant officer at the Tetulia Weather Observatory Centre, said the intensity of the cold was continuing due to cooler winds blowing from the northwest and a narrow gap between daytime and nighttime temperatures. He added that the cold conditions are likely to persist throughout the month.

Rangpur Weather Office in-charge and meteorologist Mostafizur Rahman said such weather conditions may persist throughout January. "The sun may appear occasionally, but its intensity will be weak," he said, adding that the region experiences harsher winters due to its proximity to the Himalayan mountain range.

Wind speeds ranged between 10 and 12 kilometres per hour, while humidity stood at 99 percent.

Hospitals saw a rush of child and elderly patients infected with cold-related diseases. Agriculture officials advised growers to take necessary measures to save their crop fields.