The entire northern region including Rangpur is covered in thick fog. The bone-chilling winter is in full swing. The temperature is decreasing every day. People of these northern districts are using winter clothes to stay warm inside and outside the house. A mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping over the northern region this week. Rangpur recorded a low of 13.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday. The lowest temperature in the country was recorded at 9 degrees Celsius in the northernmost district of Panchagarh, Tentulia.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the income of common people decreased rapidly. They now do not have enough money to buy winter clothes after running their daily household. As a result, the outbreak of cold with dense fog for several days has negatively affected the public life in the region. The suffering of the working people is increasing. In particular, there are about 3.2 million poor people suffering from cold and 2 million working people in 18 districts of the north. Winter-borne diseases are also increasing at an alarming rate in these districts. According to the meteorological office, the area has been shrouded in thick fog with winter for about a week. It will be a lot colder in a couple of days. It is feared that if this situation continues, the intensity of winter will be a little higher than any other year. If adequate winter clothing is not available in the northern region including Rangpur, people in the char areas and remote areas will suffer the most.
On the other hand, an average of 51 to 52 thousand winter clothes have been allocated in each district. These garments have been sent to the unions and municipalities. In every union and municipality, only 480 pieces of winter clothes have been distributed. Which is much less than required. According to the district relief office, the average number of people suffering from extreme cold in each district is over two lakh. There are at least 3 million extremely poor people in the 17 northern districts. But the allocation ow winter clothes is only eight to nine lakhs. So far, the non-government organizations have not come forward in this way. Conscious quarters claim that if the government as well as non-governmental organizations do not come forward now along with the cold-stricken people, the cold-stricken people will fall into extreme misery during the cold wave. Rangpur Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Akhtaruzzaman said the allocation was very small compared to the demand for winter clothes sent to each district. There is an average demand of one lakh winter clothes in each district. In contrast, the Rangpur District Relief Office has officially allocated 51 thousand. These winter clothes have already been distributed through the Union Parishad. However, more faxes have been sent than allotted.
According to one statistic, the number of extremely cold people in each district is over two lakh. There are at least 32 lakh extremely poor people in 18 northern districts. According to another statistic, there are over 1 million working people in this region. But the allocation is much less than required. A search of various health complexes, including Rangpur Medical College Hospital, revealed that the number of patients had increased due to the cold. Children and the elderly are the most affected by colds. They are suffering from various diseases including asthma, pneumonia and diarrhea.
According to the Rangpur Meteorological Office, mild to moderate cold spell is expected in the region in a day or two after the fog clears. At that time the temperature will decrease further.