Cold wave hits life in N districts

BSS, Rangpur :
The shivering cold wave sweeping over the northern districts has factually paralysed normal life adding untold miseries to common people everywhere today, official and local sources said.
The situation deteriorated following sharp falls in the maximum and minimum temperatures during the past 24 hours till yesterday afternoon amid blowing cooler winds from the western and north-western directions with clouds and fogs.
The severity of the biting cold forced thousands to stay indoors affecting business, office and normal activities throughout the day yesterday as the sun remained covered behind dense fogs, mists and clouds amid blowing stronger cooler winds.
The maximum and minimum temperatures marked sharp falls by three to six degrees Celsius during the past 24 hours ending at 4 pm yesterday reducing the gap between the two temperatures to the minimum to cause the bone-chilling cold.
According to Met Office sources, the minimum temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius was recorded at 6 am and maximum of only 15 degrees at 4 pm yesterday in Rangpur city.
Besides, the minimum temperatures recorded were 10.9 degrees Celsius at Syedpur, 11 degrees at Bogra, 11.3 degrees at Dinajpur and the country’s lowest of only 8 degrees Celsius at Iswardi at 6 am yesterday.
The intensity of biting cold became unbearable following reduction of the gap between the minimum and maximum temperatures to only three to six degrees Celsius at most places in the sub- Himalayan region today.
The number of patients with cough, fever, asthma and other climate change related diseases have been increasing again during the past couple of days, hospital sources and physicians said.
Health officials here told BSS yesterday afternoon that adequate steps have been taken in all government hospitals and upazila health complexes to provide proper treatments to cold-related patients.
The administrations, NGOs, pourashavas, voluntary, professional, socio-cultural and charitable organisations, business bodies, banks and other institutions have intensified distribution of warm clothes among distressed cold-hit people to mitigate their sufferings.
District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer of Rangpur Abdus Salam said distribution of warm clothes continues among the cold- hit distressed people in the district as elsewhere in the northern region.