The shivering cold has disrupted public life in almost all parts of Bangladesh in mid-winter, with dense fog at night and chilly wind at daytime.
The biting cold has hit severely the earnings of low-income people, especially the daily wagers, who have no option but to go outside to ensure their bread and butter.
Children and the elderly, meanwhile, are increasingly catching cold-related diseases such as pneumonia amid the ongoing severe wintry weather.

Also, the dense fog has been disrupting the transport movement at night and early morning in many parts of the country, while the homeless poor are experiencing intolerable suffering due to the biting cold.
Understanding the situation, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) in a directive on Tuesday said the secondary-level educational institutions of those districts where the maximum temperatures stand below 10 degrees Celsius (with proof of weather forecast) will be allowed to keep closed.

A mild-to-moderate cold wave along with dense fog and chilling wind has been sweeping over almost all parts of Bangladesh since last week, disrupting day-to-day life activities.
The difference between the day and night temperatures has sharply fallen across the country, while the sunlight remains almost absent at daytime in the capital city of Dhaka and most other districts.

Long duration of fog over Pakistan, India’s Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Digha, and West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar is obstructing the sunlight from appearing, bringing the severe feeling of cold waves, said Dr Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik, a meteorologist at Bangladesh Meteorological Department.

Day temperatures have fallen to 11-16 degrees Celsius owing to the absence of sunlight over the last couple of days in Dhaka and the last seven days in the northern region and northwestern region, he added.
“The cold wave will continue throughout the month but there is no chance of a severe cold wave in the country,” he further said, adding that there is a chance of rain from early Wednesday (today) to Thursday.
The lowest temperature in Dhaka city was 13.8 degrees Celsius Tuesday but the people are feeling like severe cold, said this meteorologist.

The characteristics and scenario of cold conditions have changed in the country due to global warming, Abul Kalam Mallik said.

The minimum temperature of Dhaka city had been above 10 degrees Celsius in the last ten years, he continued.
Business activities have also been crippled due to the bone-biting cold. Day labourers and slum-dwellers are suffering much because of shortages of warm clothes and most of the time they have to stay idle due to a crisis of work.

The penurious people living in open and public spaces like buses and railway stations are the most vulnerable to the biting cold as they cannot afford to buy warm clothes.
Day labourers and slum dwellers are in a dire state as they have no option but to go outside to earn their livelihoods.

Most of the people, however, are staying inside their homes to save themselves from the bone-biting cold wave.

Meanwhile, sales of warm clothes, room heaters, water heaters, hot pots, and different products have sharply risen due to the bone-biting cold.

Mohan Kumar Das, an agro-meteorologist working at the Agro-Meteorological Information Systems Development Project (AMISDP) of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) told the Daily Sun that the extended period of dense fog is proving particularly detrimental to the seedbeds of rice and mustard, leading to noticeable yellowing.

The repercussions of the foggy weather are widespread, affecting various crops, including paddy seedlings, mustard, mung, lentil, wheat, onion, garlic, potato, and vegetables, he said.
The extended foggy conditions are also hindering optimal growth, raising serious concerns among farmers about the potential long-term impact on overall agricultural productivity.

Meanwhile, the movement of aircraft and river vessels, including ferries, was disrupted due to dense fog in many places. Passenger buses and other vehicles are also facing difficulty to move amid dense fog at night.
The winter has also increased public health concerns, as a huge number of patients, including children and the elderly, are suffering from cold-related diseases amid the chilly winter.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) data, over 60,000 cases of respiratory infection and pneumonia were detected and 56 people died of the diseases across the country from 15 November till 15 January.

The highest number of patients (22,780) was reported in Barishal division, while the highest number of deaths (29) was reported in Chattogram division.
The hospital sources said among the admitted patients, most are children and the elderly and are suffering from pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, respiratory complications, and diarrhoea.
Talking to the Daily Sun, Brigadier General Dr Md Asaduzzaman, director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, on Tuesday said the number of patients suffering from cold-related illness has risen in the recent days at DMCH.

“Pneumonia is the most common disease among the patients. People of all ages may suffer from such cold-related illnesses, but the children and the elderly are the worst suffers,” he added.
During a recent visit to Dhaka Shishu Hospital, it was seen most patients, who were waiting for outdoor services, were suffering from cold-related diseases.

“The number of patients suffering from cold-related diseases has sharply increased in our hospital in the current month,” Prof Dr Md Jahangir Alam, director of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital & Institute, told the Daily Sun.

“Usually, 100 patients with cold-related diseases are admitted in the hospital in a month but around 400-450 were admitted to this hospital in the last one month,” he added.
Mentioning that many children were affected with various types of cold-related diseases like common cold, asthma, and pneumonia, this doctor advised people to remain alert and keep their children protected from cold this winter.