Cold spell grips parts of country

For a second straight day, a mild to moderate cold wave swept over much of the country yesterday, disrupting daily activities and causing sufferings to many.

Flight operations at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport remained suspended for six hours while ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia and Shimulia-Kathalbari routes were suspended for several hours due to dense fog.

Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions and the regions of Tangail, Faridpur, Netrakona, Sreemangal and Barisal saw some of the lowest temperature.

Jessore saw the lowest temperature in the country at 7.2 degree Celsius. Dhaka's lowest temperature was 11.5 degree.  

The Met office said the cold spell was likely to continue today.

Rezaul Karim, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, said eight domestic and international flights could not operate from 4:00am. Operations resumed around 10:00am.

BIWTC officials said ferry service on Paturia-Daulatdia river route was suspended from 7:30am and Shimulia-Kathalbari route from 5:00am to avert naval accidents due to dense fog.

More than 500 vehicles were seen lined up at Daulatdia end and about 600 at Paturia end of Daulatdia-Paturia route around 9:00am.

In Lalmonirhat, the sun was not visible all day.

Commuters faced trouble in getting vehicles particularly tempo, rickshaw and rickshaw-van.

Farmers and day-labourers were the worst affected as they could not work because of the chill and winds.

Soleman Miah, 58, a day-labourer at Phulgachhi village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, said he and his three family members were suffering as they did not have warm clothing.

“I tried to buy used woollen garments but traders have increased the price after the fall of temperature,” said Soleman.

In Thakurgaon, very few people were seen on the roads and public places.

People in rural areas were seen arranging campfires with straw and wood in front of their houses to try and keep themselves warm.

In Kurigram, about four lakh poor people living on the river bank and in the 250 chars of the district have been suffering badly for the last three days.

Disaster management office sources said they distributed 57,000 pieces of blankets to all upazila administrations in the district.

In Rajshahi, where temperature came down to 8.6 degrees Celsius, the cold wave has hit the low-income group and homeless people hard.

The district administration has distributed 52,500 blankets among the affected people in nine upazilas, Md Helal Mahmud Sharif, Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi, said.

In Patuakhali, the poor living in different shoal areas were also badly affected. Md Azahar Khan, a landless resident in Diarakachua in Baufal upazila, said and his six family members had nothing warm to wear.

Baufal Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdullah Al Mahmud Zaman said they distributed about 6,000 blankets among poor men.

[Our correspondents from Thakurgaon, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Rajshahi, Patuakhali, Manikganj and Munshiganj contributed to this report]