Floating people reel under biting cold

Members of a poor family shiver in the biting cold and dense fog in the port city. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

Sitting on his makeshift bed under the shed of a gallery of Chittagong Parade Ground, Ariful Islam was trembling under biting cold in the morning. His eyes turned red while water was frequently dropping down from his reddish eyes.
“I could not sleep for a moment last night due to severe cold,” Ariful said.
Ariful, a middle-aged man wearing shabby clothes and only a worn-out blanket, drew attention of local youths in the morning as he was shivering with cold. A group of local youths brought some old warm clothes for him to protect him from the cold. But they could not provide him with a safe shelter where he could pass these dreadful nights of cold.
Ariful who came to the port city from Jhenidah in search of work few months ago, sells old newspapers to earn livelihood but cannot earn enough even to rent a space even in a slum to live in.
Like Ariful, thousands of floating people in the port city are now suffering from the biting cold of early winter season.
Meanwhile, the warm clothes distribution programme in Chittagong on behalf of the district administration is going on very slowly due to a shortage of warm clothes.
Ehsanul-e-Elahi, additional deputy commissioner (general), told The Daily Star that they distributed 300 blankets to different upazilas.
“We have distributed just 50 blankets among the poor people in the city,” he said, adding that they asked the ministry concerned to send 20,000 blankets.
The official concerned could not give the actual number of floating people in the port city.
Not only the floating people but also the people from all walks of life in the port city have been suffering from cold wave since the first day of Bangla month of “Paush.” Children and elderly people are suffering much from cold borne diseases.
Dr Aparup Kanti Das, assistant registrar of Pediatrics at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said children are likely to be more vulnerable to severe cold in winter season as their antibody is not so strong.
Prof Dr Mahmud A Chowdhury Arzu, head of the department of Child Health at Chattagram Maa O Shishu General Hospital, said most of the patients they are receiving are suffering from respiratory distress.
“We received a hundred patients on Sunday and 70 percent of them are suffering from respiratory problem,” he said. Children are vulnerable to cold-related diseases in this weather and the elderly people suffer from respiratory diseases, he added.
The dense fog descended over the surroundings of the city that hinders the view of passersby. Vehicles were seen moving slowly with their headlights turned on through the dense fog to avoid accidents.
Office-goers, trembling under the biting cold, are to wait for vehicles at the bus stops.
Jahur Hawkers' Market, the hub of the port city where warm clothes can be found at low cost, is now abuzz with the footsteps of people from middle and lower-income group.
Jahangir Hossain, proprietor of Famous Tailors, said the rush of the people for warm clothes are increasing as the severity of cold is increasing.
The rich people rush to different shopping malls but the floating people who do not have ability to buy warm clothes are just looking for government's help and are praying for the severity of the cold to decease.