Life has come to a virtual standstill in the northern districts for the past few days as spells of drizzle and sudden drop in temperature are forcing most people to remain indoors.
Seven children died in Rangpur yesterday due to cold diarrhoea and pneumonia with hundreds of people, most of them children and elderly, admitted to the hospitals affected by the cold-related diseases, our correspondents report.
The biting cold proved to be particularly harsh for the poor farmers, landless people, day labourers and homeless people, who cannot afford to buy winter clothes.
Dense fog, which starts setting in soon after sunset and continues for most part of the next day, is also adding to the sufferings of the locals as poor visibility has been disrupting vehicular movement on the streets and day-to-day activities, our correspondents say.
The region saw a sharp drop in temperature, as the highest temperature for Dinajpur was recorded at 15 degrees Celsius yesterday, which was 22.5 degrees on Tuesday. In Rajshahi, it was 22.7 degrees Celsius on Tuesday and fell to 18 degrees yesterday and in Rangpur, the 23 degrees Celsius on Tuesday dropped to 15 degrees yesterday, met office sources said.
In addition to the northern districts, drizzles may occur at one or two places in Jessore, Kushtia, Comilla, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Dhaka. The night temperature may also fall in those places.
The lowest temperature in the country yesterday was in Srimangal at 10.2 degrees Celsius and the highest 30 degrees was recorded in Cox’s Bazar.
Our Rangpur correspondent reports that intense cold has brought about cold diarrhoea and pneumonia in the district that claimed seven children yesterday.
According to the hospital sources, the dead are, 15-day old boy of Mahmud of Rahimpur under Taraganj upazila in Rangpur, two-day old girl of Mominul Islam of Mominpur under Rangpur sadar upazila, eight-year old Enam Hossain, son of Farhad Hossain of Collegepara in Nilphamari, five-day old boy of Shahabuddin of Gangachara upazila in Rangpur, one-month old girl of Pradip Kumar of Borabhita under Kishoreganj upazila, two-day old boy of Momotajuddin of Uttom, and two-year old son of Shariful Islam of Velaguri under Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat district. All of them died in Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
Civil Surgeon of Rangpur Abdur Rahim said that the children were affected by acute pneumonia and cold diarrhoea and died, though they were given proper treatment.
Sources of the civil surgeon office said, a total of 397 patients suffering from cold-related diseases were hospitalised in seven upazila health complexes and two hospitals in last 24 hours.
Thousands of the low-income families faced untold sufferings due to freezing cold intensified by drizzles yesterday.
Our Dinajpur correspondent reports that the people of Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Joypurhat are experiencing biting cold spell for the first time in the season along with rain.
According to the Dinajpur weather official sources, these four districts of the northern region are the worst affected by the waves of chilling cold blowing from the Himalayan ranges.
The met office recorded 20 millimetres of rainfall in those areas yesterday from dawn to dusk.
Our Sirajganj correspondent says: The farmers faced extreme difficulties ploughing their fields during the peak season of Boro cultivation following the severe cold yesterday.
Attendance of people at different offices and businesses in the district town was also very thin.
While visiting different embankments of Jamuna river, The Daily Star found the people left homeless by river erosion and floods as the worst sufferers of the chilling weather.
In addition, cold related diseases like cold diarrhoea, pneumonia, dysentery, cough and fever are spreading out among the people in the remote areas.
Hospital sources said that on an average, 15 people are being hospitalised every day with cold related diseases. Most of them are children and elderly people, they added.
Sirajganj civil surgeon office sources said that about 200 people, including children and elderly people, in nine upazilas of the district have been admitted to different hospitals and upazila health complexes in the last two days
UNB reports: Pneumonia that broke out in an alarming proportion in the district has affected around 2,500 children during the last three weeks as the cold wave prevails.
Sources said the children mostly from poor families have been admitted to the district general hospital and other upazila health complexes and many of them are suffering from acute respiratory problems.
The doctors fear that the number of pneumonia patients might increase further if the current cold spell persists for long.
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