Sreemangal inhabited by tea gardens, shivers in winter at the beginning of Magh month. Along with that, thick fog and cold wind have increased the intensity of winter more.
The sun did not appear even in the morning, noon or evening. Along with the cold wind, poor working and helpless people suffer much. Their way of life in this region has come to a standstill. Again, tea workers, day labourers and various low-income professionals of this region can be seen going out to work from 7:30 in the morning, ignoring the winter, in pursuit of livelihood.
In rural towns, low-income people are fighting the winter by burning straw. Lower class people are suffering from lack of winter clothes. Those among them who can afford it are thronging the pavement shops. Hardworking common people are in trouble not being able to go to work in severe winter.
The income of van and rickshawpullers has decreased due to reduced traffic on roads. Shahid Ali, a farmer in Tikaria village of Ashidron union of Srimangal upazila said that he went to irrigate the cultivated land. So much fog and cold wind that it has become difficult to work.
Residents of Saitula area of Sindurkhan Union of the upazila said that it is very foggy and very cold. While working at home in the morning, hands and feet were paralyzed by the cold.
The workers of Bharaura tea garden said, “Despite the fog and winter, we have to go to work in the tea garden early in the morning and our hands and feet get paralyzed. But what to do, we have to work to earn a living.”
Talking to the van drivers of Sindurkhan Road and Moulvibazar Road said that they have to ignore the winter and go out with the van in order to earn a living. But people, those have enough earing stay at home.
Therefore, the income of day-labourers has decreased due to lack of passengers. Meanwhile, various cold-related diseases have been reported. According to the 50-bed Sreemangal Upazila Health Complex, the number of cold-hit patients has increased in the outdoor of the health complex. Especially, children and elderly people are admitted with cold-related like cough, pneumonia, diarrhea and asthma.
According to the Sreemangal Meteorological Office, a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius was recorded at 9 am on Monday (January 15), 11.5 degrees Celsius was recorded at 6 am and 9 am.
Bivlu Chandra Das, observer of Sreemangal Meteorological Office, said that the minimum temperature in Sreemangal Upazila is fluctuating between 11 degrees and 16 degrees from last December 20 to Tuesday (January 16).
Anisur Rahman Anis, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sreemangal Meteorological Observatory, said that although the temperature is 13 degrees on Monday, the feeling of winter is more due to fog and cold air. He said that the lowest temperature of this winter season was recorded at Sreemangal at 9 am on December 19 at 10.7 degrees Celsius so far.