STAR REPORT
The cold wave sweeping across northern Bangladesh has intensified, causing severe hardship for the poor and disadvantaged communities and disrupting daily life and livelihoods.
Rajshahi recorded the season’s lowest temperature at 7°C yesterday, according to Jitendranath Ray, acting officer of Tetulia Weather Observatory.
Elsewhere in the region, minimum temperatures recorded yesterday were 8.6°C in Tetulia, 9°C in Dinajpur, 10°C in Saidpur, 11.9°C in Rangpur, and 10.5°C in Kurigram’s Rajarhat.
Mostafizur Rahman, meteorologist and in-charge of Rangpur Meteorological Office, said, “The sun was not visible for most of the day. Cold winds and fog intensified the severity of the cold spell. Similar weather conditions may persist for several days, with temperatures likely to drop further.”
The severity of the cold has forced people indoors, disrupting business and official activities, while also contributing to a decline in attendance at educational institutions across the region.
Rahena Begum, 60, from Sahapara village in Panchagarh’s Boda upazila, said, “The cold has become unbearable, especially from evening until morning. Even after covering myself with two or three blankets, it does not feel warm at night.”
Meherun Nesa, 56, a house-help from Badupara village in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, said braving the bone-chilling cold to go out for work in the morning has become extremely difficult.
Many others from various professions echoed similar struggles.
Meanwhile, the number of patients suffering from cold-related illnesses, particularly children and the elderly, has surged in hospitals across the region and the country.
Cases of pneumonia, breathing difficulties, cold, cough, fever, diarrhoea, and bronchiolitis are rising alarmingly among children.
Over the past three days, approximately 1,250 children suffering from cold-related ailments have been admitted to upazila and district-level hospitals across Rangpur division’s eight districts, according to Rangpur Divisional Health Director Gausul Azim Chowdhury.
“Doctors have been instructed to ensure proper medical treatment for
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