North experiences a week of shivering cold

Biting chill accompanied by dense fog adds misery to common people in northern districts. The photo was taken from Bogra. PHOTO: BANGLAR CHOKH

Shivering cold coupled with dense fog for the last one week has disrupted normal life in the northern districts causing immense sufferings to poor people.
The cold bite forced thousands to stay indoors affecting businesses and day-to-day activities.
However, the situation slightly improved yesterday with the fog starting to disappear and sun coming out at noon.
Officials said both the minimum and the maximum temperatures marked rise at all the six monitoring points in the region in the last 24 hours.
Met office sources, however, said the country's lowest temperature remained unchanged at 6.2 degree Celsius yesterday like the day before at Chuadanga. The minimum temperature at 10 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday against Sunday's 8.8 degree at Rangpur, 9.3 degree against Sunday's 8.3 degree at Dinajpur and 9.8 degree against Sunday's 9.4 degree Celsius at Syedpur.
Besides, the minimum temperature was 8 degree yesterday morning against Sunday's 6.6 degree at Ishwardi, 10 degree against 8.8 degree at Bogra and 8.6 degree Celsius yesterday against Sunday's 6.9 degree at Rajshahi.
No cold-related death was so far reported from anywhere in the region, BSS quoting sources in the Civil Surgeon Offices and district administrations said.
However, UNB from Lalmonirhat says, four people have died of cold in last few days in the district.
The victims were identified as Shyamal, 65, of Rajapur, Majeda Bewa, 60, of Talpatti, Rahim, 80, of Kochabari and Mohen Chandra, 67, of Harati.
The sun remained hidden under thick layers of fog and cloud in the northern districts till 9:10am everyday for the last few days reducing visibility to 7 to 10 metres from midnight worsening road traffic and forcing the vehicles plying with headlights on to avert accidents.
District administrations wrote to higher authorities for more of blankets and other warm clothes for distribution among the poor cold-hit people to mitigate their sufferings, officials said.
A Gaibandha report says, severity of cold and dense fog remained unchanged in the district paralysing the normal life in the town and the rural areas.
After three days, the sun peeped out for a while around noon yesterday but soon disappeared into heavy fog and cloud.
Children and elderly people are suffering most from the cold while those of the poor families remained widely exposed to chilly winter winds coming from the north.
Rural people were mostly seen warming up their bodies by burning straw, old rubber tyre and dried up wood. People were rarely seen on roads in rural areas of the district.