The Death of the Dhaka Chill: How Climate Change Stole Our Winter
By Syed Navid Anjum Hasan :
If we turn the calendar back by twenty or thirty years, a different scenario of winter in Bangladesh would appear. By mid-October, a subtle chill wind would begin to settle over Dhaka’s air.
The morning dew on the grass tips whispered a clear message to the people that winter had arrived.
By November, the entire country would wrap itself in a shroud of mist, embracing a magical, wintry gloom. December brought a biting cold that was once an integral part of our heritage.
But today, in the third decade of the twenty-first century, that winter is a fugitive. It has become almost an exiled season, retreating from the heart of nature.
A Broken Cycle and the Blow of Climate Change
The traditional cycle of six seasons in Bengal is now under siege. The grace of Autumn and Late Autumn is no longer visible.
Instead, a prolonged summer seems to devour the landscape immediately after the monsoon.
Our seasonal cycle is now essentially split into two: a long, scorching summer and an erratic monsoon.
Spring is almost a myth, and winter? Winter is now largely confined to the pages of the almanac.
Where there used to be three to four months of wintry atmosphere, it has now shrunk to a mere two weeks of “pure” cold.
Environmentalists stated this shift to international warming and unplanned urbanization. The destruction of Bangladesh’s seasonal variety is an immediate result of speedy deforestation and growing carbon emissions.
Furthermore, the El Niño effect inside the Pacific location is inflicting atmospheric havoc, and Bangladesh is a frontline sufferer.
Consequently, we revel in a protracted, humid heat that makes lifestyles insufferable. What we name “modern-day wintry weather” is now simply a quick respite from this suffocating warm temperature.
Mechanical Dhaka and the Artificial Face of Winter
In the context of the capital, winter is no longer a climatic shift; it has transformed into a cultural festival. In the busy streets of Dhaka, fashion shops come alive in winter.
Colorful shawls, blazers and hoodies are popular among those who care about style.
The spirit of the season is kept alive by the steam rising from roadside vapa and chitoi pitas, pita festivals held in open spaces, and heartwarming images of people collecting date juice in newspapers and on television.
Ironically, this time has become the most comfortable season in this hot city. While people in the Northern Hemisphere are stuck indoors due to snow and cold temperatures, the people of Dhaka are enjoying a special gift from nature.
For these two months, Dhaka has become somewhat livable. One can walk long distances without exhaustion, commuters remain calm in the usually stifling buses, and even rickshaw pullers seem more reasonable. This version of winter is what the city-dwellers now crave the most.
The memories of winter were not always pleasant, especially for the rural poor. Forty or fifty years ago, the arrival of winter was a battle for survival. The sight of people huddled around straw fires, wrapped in thin, was common.
Today, that imagery has changed drastically, marking a silent success for the Bangladesh economy. Even in remote villages, people are now seen wearing adequate warm clothes.
From city footpaths to rural bazaars, affordable second-hand or new winter garments are readily available. Winter is no longer a death sentence for the impoverished; it has become an occasion for celebration. This increase in purchasing power proves how much our rural economy has strengthened since independence.
New threats: health risks and ecosystem collapse
Winter’s sudden departure isn’t just stealing our happiness; this entails serious health risks.
Scientists suggest that this climate imbalance directly affects our immune system. Every year, at the beginning and end of this short winter, there is an increase in flu, asthma and various viral infections.
Winter, which used to be a season of recovery, has now become a time of worry about seasonal flu.
Agriculture suffers losses due to prolonged cold weather. Wheat production and production of Rabi crops are facing challenges. Instead of mild winter sunlight, harsh sunlight dries the soil too quickly.
The lack of winter disrupts nature’s biological clock, which could cause serious environmental problems in the future.
Conclusion: Is the Winter Gone Forever?
Will the misty nights of intense cold remain only as fairy tales for the next generation? When a sudden cold wave hits the northern regions for two or three days, the younger generation gets a small taste of the “old winter.”
But the lethality of those brief spells reminds us how much we have neglected nature. By destroying forests and turning our cities into concrete deserts, we have driven winter away from our city.
Once winter is more than just a season, it is one of the souls of our Bengali culture. The date juice, the cakes, and the harvest festivities are incomplete without the winter.
Unless we take effective steps to combat climate change, winter will soon be a luxury felt only through the vents of an air conditioner.
Only through environmental awareness and massive reforestation can we hope to one day welcome back those two months of cherished, silver winter.
(The writer is a Development Worker.)