The mild cold wave sweeping across the country on Thursday sent thousands of people to swarm in and shop for warm clothes and blankets in the city’s major markets.
The city street vendors, defying a ban on vending, invited people to crowd and buy cheaper warm clothes in city’s major intersections like Farmgate, Gulistan, Mohakhali, Badda, Malibagh, Taltola, Uttara, Mohammedpur, Dhanmandi and Jhigatola.
The sky on Thursday remained hazy and foggy plummeting the mercury to about 14 degrees Celsius at places. The sudden cold wave caught many people by surprise as the weather even on Wednesday remained pleasantly normal with temperature hovering around 20 – 25 degrees.
People in the rural areas, especially in the northern districts are the hardest hit by the sudden cold wave which may stay for another few days before the sun reappears in full again. Long distance transport was severely affected as fog slowed down traffic on the highways causing heavy traffic jams in many places.
Meanwhile, there is mad rush for buying warm clothes in almost in shopping malls in the city. This correspondent found many people busy bargaining for warm clothes, including blankets.
Amena Begum, a housemaid bought three warm clothes from the capital’s new market area shop. She said, “Temperature feeling too low and intensity of cold air is so bitter. I do not have enough money to buy more. Whatever I have, bought three cloth for my children.”
The poor people are badly suffering due to lack of warm clothes. Many of them are seen to have arranged burning wood to keep themselves warm.
The low-income people, especially the day laborers, are the worst sufferers as most of them cannot go out for work due to the adverse weather while many people, especially children and old aged, are getting cold-related diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia.
Drivers of buses on all the routes are using head lights during the daytime as foggy weather prevailed everywhere.
Earlier, city temperature recorded as low as 16.2 degrees Celsius at its lowest, while the lowest of 10.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Rajarhat in Rangpur division, according to the Met office.
A mild to moderate cold wave is likely to sweep over the northwestern part of the country in the next few days, said meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) Mohammad Aftab Uddin.
“The temperature may fall by 1 to 2 degree Celsius more across the country in the next 24 hours. The fall in temperature would continue till December 21, after which it would begin to rise,” he said yesterday evening.
He also said, temperatures will again drop after December 26, and the country may face cold wave in January,
The weather may remain dry amid cloudy skies over the country for 24 hours, beginning from 9:00am yesterday, according to BMD. ‘Temperature may remain unchanged for the next two days. It’ll start rising from December 22,’ said Ruhul Kuddus, a meteorologist of Dhaka Met office.
He said that a cold wave might sweep over the country in the first week of January again. However, the cold wave has increased since Wednesday, from the sidewalk in the capital to the large markets and shopping malls, blankets, jackets, sweaters, cardigans, shawls, gloves and trousers are being sold.
Shopkeepers are quite happy with the increased in the winter sales. Whether winter clothes have started selling since yesterday, a shopkeeper Jalaluddin at the New Market area said, "This season the sale of warm goods started from ten days ago. However, sales have increased since yesterday compared to the last few days.'
In the afternoon, there was a crowd of customers in almost every shop selling warm clothes, including blankets. However, due to the high number of buyers today vendors are also happy with the buy spree.
The people of the country are experiencing a severe cold wave that is sweeping all over the Bangladesh. However, the North and Western part of the country are severely hit by it with lowest temperature. According to the weather forecast, this is the first cold wave of this winter that began on Wednesday late evening.
Due to the cold wave, moderate and thick fogs were occurring over the northwestern part of the country and light to moderate fog occurred at places elsewhere over the country. Night temperature might fall by 1 to 3 degree over the country. Country’s maximum temperature on Tuesday was recorded at 29.6 degree Celsius at Teknaf while the lowest temperature was recorded at 10.8 degree Celsius at Rajarhat, Rangpur, added the press release.
According to a recent report released by Global Climate Risk Index 2019, Bangladesh is the seventh most affected country in the world due to “extreme weather events” over 20 years between 1998 and 2017. The report also said 407 people died in Bangladesh in 2017 due to extreme weather-related events, while the country suffered an economic loss of about US $2,826.68 million during the period.
According to the Met office, Bagerhat, Rajshahi, Panchagar, Dinajpur, Kurigram and Chuadanga are experiencing a severe cold wave. Mymensingh, Dhaka and Barishal divisions, the remaining parts of the Rangpur, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions, and the Sandwip, Sitakunda, Rangamati, Cumilla, Feni and Srimangal areas are also experiencing a mild moderate cold wave.