Bone-chilling cold hits hard northern people, As mercury levels marked little falls during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am today, the suffering of people mounted further forcing many of them to remain indoors in the northern region. The Met Office sources said the country’s lowest temperature of 9 degrees Celsius was recorded at Tertulia today against yesterday’s lowest temperature of 10 degrees Celsius there causing misery to commoners.
Bone-chilling cold hits hard northern people
The minimum temperature of 11.2 degrees Celsius was recorded today against yesterday’s 11.8 degrees Celsius at Rangpur point. Besides, the minimum temperatures recorded today were 10.6 degrees Celsius against yesterday’s 11.2 degrees at Dinajpur, 10.8 degrees against yesterday’s 11.8 degrees at Saidpur, 10.4 degrees against yesterday’s 11.6 degrees at Dimla, and 9.6 degrees against yesterday’s 12.3 degrees Celsius at Rajarhat points in the region.
The maximum temperatures ranged between 22.6 degrees and 23.5 degrees Celsius yesterday in the northern region. Dense layers of fog amid blowing cooler winds caused bone-chilling cold, exposing the poor, elderly citizens and minor children to intense miseries till this noon. However, the situation marked little improvement with the appearance of the sun since noon, making life easier for a couple of hours.
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. Acting Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman said physicians are providing necessary 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 organizations have further intensified the distribution of warm clothes among cold-stricken people. District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) for Rangpur Md. Motahar Hossain said the government has so far allocated 75,000 pieces of blankets in two phases for distribution among cold-stricken people of the district.
“We have already distributed about 60,000 pieces of blankets among cold-affected poor and distressed people as the process continues in the district,” he added. Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Dr. Chitralekha Nazneen with the DRRO, Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs), and other officials continue distributing blankets among cold-stricken people across the district. Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) Md. Abu Jafar told BSS that the Deputy Commissioners, DRROs, UNOs, and other officials, different NGOs and other organizations have intensified the distribution of warm clothes among cold-hit people.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at its regional office here said the sweeping cold wave might affect the normal growth of different Rabi crop plants if the situation further deteriorates. Additional Deputy of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Mohammad Shah Alam said field-level agriculture officers are assisting farmers in nursing growing winter crop plants and Boro rice seedlings to save those from cold injuries.
He suggested farmers irrigate Boro rice seedbeds at night and discharge water in the mornings and keep seedbeds under cover of polythene sheets to save seedlings from foggy weather and cold injuries. Reports reaching here from remote and char areas of Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, and Panchagarh said normal life remained badly affected today.