3 cold spells this month

Three cold waves will sweep through the country this month and two of those will be severe, the Met office said yesterday.

“Also, there are possibilities of heavier rainfall than usual this month,” added the monthly forecast of Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Meanwhile, the cloudy sky and drizzle that the country witnessed yesterday may continue today but will start receding, said the Met office.

Rain or thundershower are likely to occur at different places over Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, Sylhet and Rangpur divisions.

Besides, moderate to thick fog may also occur at some places in the country. Temperature may fall by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius across the country, read yesterday’s weather bulletin of the Met office.

Yesterday, the early morning rain made things difficult for poor people like day-labourers and rickshaw-pullers, reported UNB.

“It would have been better had I stayed indoor and taken rest rather than braving the chilly rain,” said Hashem Ali, a rickshaw-puller sitting idle in his slow-moving three-wheeler at Mouchak intersection yesterday morning.

Besides, students were seen using umbrellas while going to their coaching centers on the weekend, added the UNB report. 

The drizzle along with cold wave from disrupted normal life in six southern districts and hampered normal life of general people, reported our Barishal correspondent.

As a result, very few people were seen plying on the roads and water ways for reaching their workplaces. Shopkeepers in the town were seen passing idle time due to lack of customers.

The children and elderly people also suffered due to the cold weave with rain.

Dr Md Rahim, director of health in Barishal district, said over 1700 children admitted to 42 upazila health complexes in last seven days in his region with diseases related to cold.

On the other hand, various cold-related diseases affected 5,440 people across the country in the last 24 hours, the government said on Thursday, reported UNB.

Data from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) control room showed that 767 of the patients received treatment for acute respiratory infection.

According to the data, 51 deaths were reported across the country between November 1 and January 2 due to cold-related diseases, the UNB report added.