As mercury levels marked little falls during the last 24 hours ending at 9 am on Monday, 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 Tentulia on Monday against yesterday’s lowest temperature of 10 degrees Celsius there causing misery to common people.
The minimum temperature of 11.2 degrees Celsius was recorded on Monday against 11.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday at Rangpur point.
Besides, the minimum temperatures recorded on Monday were 10.6 degrees Celsius against Sunday’s 11.2 degrees at Dinajpur, 10.8 degrees against Sunday’s 11.8 degrees at Saidpur, 10.4 degrees against Sunday’s 11.6 degrees at Dimla and 9.6 degrees against Sunday’s 12.3 degrees Celsius at Rajarhat points in the region.
The maximum temperatures ranged between 22.6 degrees and 23.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday 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 in recent days.
Acting Divisional Director (Health) Dr 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 organisations have further intensified the distribution of warm clothes among cold-stricken people.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) for Rangpur 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 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) Abu Jafar told BSS that the Deputy Commissioners, DRROs, UNOs and other officials, different NGOs and other organizations have distributed warm clothes among cold-hit people.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at its regional office 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 on Monday.
