Foggy weather to continue

A biting cold wave has added to the sufferings in the winter, especially to the homeless. A beggar in Chittagong was found dead yesterday while many others fell sick in the chilling weather in northern districts and got admitted to hospitals.

According to the Met office, the temperature during day and night has slightly been reduced across the country with the lowest hovering between 9 and 10 degrees Celsius.

Dense fog would cover the river basins and most of the places in the northern districts from last night to midday today, it said. The meteorological department also predicted more foggy weather in the next two days, which could disrupt ferry services.

Police, meanwhile, recovered the body of the unidentified beggar in the morning from a road-island in front of Nasiman Bhaban in Kazir Dewri area of the port city. The mid-aged man was lying there without any warm clothes on and died at around 1:30am the previous night, said Sub-inspector Talat Mahmud of Kotowali Police Station, quoting a witness.

Hit by the biting cold wave for a few days, people in Kurigram, Dinajpur, Joypurhat and Nilphamari districts have confined themselves to their homes. Besides, dense fog disrupted communication, bringing their normal lives to a standstill.

The cold wave is coming from the Himalayan belt, which becomes stronger after midday and turns extremely unbearable in the evening. The sun remains covered by dense fog and cloud all day long.

Many people especially children and the elderly are being affected by cold related diseases like fever, cough, bronchitis, asthma, diarrhoea and pneumonia.

The homeless and income groups like day labourers are the worst sufferers. They set bonfires under trees and in parks and huddle around them for warmth against the cold.

"I am suffering in the cold for the last several days as I don't have money to purchase warm clothes," Dharla river-side day labourer Anwarul told our Kurigram correspondent.