Al Mamun Harun Ur Rashid :
The dense fog and biting cold have hit different districts of the country, including the capital, and made life come to a standstill, especially in the northern areas.
Due to dense fog, the sun’s face has not been visible in many districts on Thursday while poor and low income groups of people are facing the intensity of the biting cold due to shortage of warm clothes.
According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), this situation is expected to persist for the next two to three days and several spate of cold wave may sweep across the country this month.
On Thursday morning, the lowest temperature recorded in Chuadanga was 9.8 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the country over the past 24 hours. In Ishwardi, the lowest temperature recorded was 10 degrees Celsius.
Additionally, various parts of the country recorded the lowest temperatures near 10 degrees Celsius.
In Dhaka, the lowest temperature was recorded at 13.8 degrees Celsius, while the highest temperature in the country was recorded in Teknaf at 28 degrees Celsius.
Meteorologist Bazlur Rashid stated that after the fog clears, several cold waves may sweep across the country.
“This fog will last for another two to three days. The cold will remain the same as it is now. Once the fog clears, nighttime temperatures will gradually drop, and cold waves could set in,” he said on Thursday.
“After January 6 or 7, nighttime temperatures may drop 8 to 10 degrees Celsius during this time,” he said.
BMD furthermore stated that some severe cold waves may develop in the
north-western, north-eastern, and central regions, with temperatures potentially dropping to 4 to 6 degrees Celsius.
Meteorologist Dr Abul Kalam Mallik stated that there could be one to three mild to moderate cold waves and one to two severe cold waves in January.
Meanwhile, the intensity of cold increased in Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, and Sylhet divisions. Gradually, this could spread from the central to the eastern regions of the country.
In the western region, there will be isolated cold waves. Initially, this may persist until Friday. The amount of fog will also increase over the next few days.
“There is no significant change expected in the weather. The dense fog across the country will take time to dissipate,” Meteorologist Shahinul Islam said.
Meanwhile, Dhaka is experiencing severe cold and dense fog. Due to the fog, vehicles on the roads are running with headlights on. There has hardly been any sight of the sun since the first day of the year, which has increased the cold.
As the day’s temperature drops, the residents in the capital felt cold intensifies at night. On Thursday, the temperature in various parts of Dhaka was lower compared to Wednesday.
The weather department also mentioned that the fog currently being observed is called “advection fog,” which means it does not remain in one place. This fog has entered Bangladesh primarily from the northern regions, having passed through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal in India.
Meanwhile, northern districts are experiencing biting colds as the sun remained invisible throughout the day and dense fog blanketed the roads and villages.
The day laborer and other low income groups of people are suffering badly as their daily tasks have been limited.
To avoid the biting cold, people were seen basking around the fires out of woods or other materials.
“We are feeling severe cold due to cold winds blowing. We don’t have quilts. The normal ‘kantha’ cannot protect us from cold. When the sun will be visible we don’t know,” Amena Khatun, a resident of Badarganj Upazila of Rangpur district told the media.
Tentulia Weather Observatory, Jitendra Nath Roy, said that the intense cold is being felt here due to thick fog and cold air directly coming from the Himalayas. There is a possibility of a cold wave this month, he said.
In the Milgate area of Panchagarh Municipality, agriculture labor Abul Kashem said, “Today, the fog is the thickest. A cold breeze is coming in. The ground is so cold that you can’t walk barefoot. The cold ground is making my feet tingle.”
Abdur Rahman, an assistant meteorologist at the Bogura Weather Department, informed that the cold this year could intensify.
“The temperature may drop further this season, which could increase the intensity of the cold. There will be bone-chilling cold throughout January,” he said.
A number of district hospitals sources said that the number of cold related patients especially old people and children have starting increasing due to respiratory problems.
