Rangpur: Normal life is being severely disrupted in the sub-Himalayan northern region of the country due to a bone-chilling cold wave that has gripped the area for the fifth consecutive day, increasing the suffering of common people.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the situation worsened further as the maximum temperature dropped again, with the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures reducing to just two to four degrees Celsius, although the minimum temperature increased slightly today. The severity of the cold forced people to stay indoors, affecting businesses and daily activities. Vehicles were seen plying with headlights on as the sun remained obscured by clouds and fog, accompanied by stronger cooler winds throughout the day.
The district and upazila administrations, along with NGOs and various organizations, have intensified the distribution of warm clothes among the distressed cold-hit people to mitigate their sufferings. Officer-in-Charge of Rangpur Meteorological Office, meteorologist Md Mostafizar Rahman, noted a slight rise in minimum temperatures at some places while maximum temperatures fell further in the region today.
“The difference between the minimum and maximum temperatures has come down to just two to four degrees Celsius, resulting in a shivering cold that has further increased the sufferings of common people today,” he said. The minimum temperature of 13 degrees Celsius was recorded at 9 am today against yesterday’s 11.8 degrees and a maximum of 16 degrees against yesterday’s 17.5 degrees Celsius at Rangpur city.
The intensity of the cold became more pronounced in recent days as the gap between the minimum and maximum temperatures narrowed significantly across the region. Hospital sources reported an increase in patients with cough, fever, asthma, and other cold-related ailments. Rangpur Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Md Gausul Azim Chowdhury stated that necessary steps have been implemented in all government hospitals and health complexes to provide adequate treatment to the growing number of cold-related patients.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer of Rangpur, Md Golam Kibria, mentioned that the distribution of warm clothes is ongoing, with more allocations awaited for distribution among the affected people in the district. Kurigram DRRO Md Abdul Matin confirmed the continuous distribution of blankets and other warm clothes received from the government and local sources among the cold-hit people in all nine upazilas of the district.
Similar reports of disrupted normal life have been received from Kurigram, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur, and Nilphamari districts in the region.