S A Shofiee Sylhet :
Several Thousands of poor, ultra poor and rootless people of the district are suffering greatly from lack of necessary warm cloths as cold wave is prevailing across the Sylhet district and slight rainfall has enhanced the sufferings.
The biting cold, dense fog and chilling winds crippled the people’s life in the district area. The district meteorology office recorded the lowest temperature of the district at 12.6 and 10.11 degree Celsius during the last few days.
Sylhet district meteorology officer, said the temperature might improve gradually in the coming days. In the morning, the district City is blanketed with a dense fog; anything, which is even 11 to 12 feet apart, is invisible till 12 noon. So the engine and battery run vehicles in the district are plying on the road on their head-lights. Except for very urgent purpose, people can rarely go out of home.
Many school-, college- and office-goers are suffering immensely as they have to wait for long for vehicles because no vehicular movement is seen because of low visibility.
”Farmers, specially the vegetable growers, are very much worried about their produce as the traders do not come to the local markets to purchase vegetables, and the farmers apprehend that they might face huge losses in such a biting cold weather”, said Aftab Ali farmer of Kazakalu village under Dakshin Surma upazila.
Boro farming has also been hampered as the day-labourers could not work in the field in the biting cold, he added.
Many rickshaw and van-pullers cannot drive their vehicles and pass their time idly. Sometimes, they are found sitting on their vehicles, wrapping their body with blankets and kathas.
“I earn a meagre income and cannot afford to lead my family with it as I cannot run my vehicle in such a biting cold,” said rickshaw puller Islam Ali, a resident of Toker bazar in the district .
Middle and low-income group of people throng the road-side second hand markets to purchase worm cloths to save themselves from the chilling cold; but the prices of second-hand cloths go up by Tk 40 to 60 within a week.
Lack of worm cloths, many floating and distressed people try to fight with the cold by burning straw, paper and dry leaves beside the road-side.
On the other hand, many children and elderly persons have been attacked with cold-related diseases including pneumonia, bronchitis, diarrhoea, dysentery and jaundice; these diseases have broken out in the district as an epidemic form. More than 60 cold-related patients have already been admitted into Sylhet MAG Osmani Hospital in the last three days, and accommodation problem has been very acute, hospital sources said.
Dr A Rahman, a specialist at Paediatric Department of the Hospital, said about 100 to 150 cold-related patients are taking medical treatment everyday from the outdoor service. Now the situation is under control, he added.
Several Thousands of poor, ultra poor and rootless people of the district are suffering greatly from lack of necessary warm cloths as cold wave is prevailing across the Sylhet district and slight rainfall has enhanced the sufferings.
The biting cold, dense fog and chilling winds crippled the people’s life in the district area. The district meteorology office recorded the lowest temperature of the district at 12.6 and 10.11 degree Celsius during the last few days.
Sylhet district meteorology officer, said the temperature might improve gradually in the coming days. In the morning, the district City is blanketed with a dense fog; anything, which is even 11 to 12 feet apart, is invisible till 12 noon. So the engine and battery run vehicles in the district are plying on the road on their head-lights. Except for very urgent purpose, people can rarely go out of home.
Many school-, college- and office-goers are suffering immensely as they have to wait for long for vehicles because no vehicular movement is seen because of low visibility.
”Farmers, specially the vegetable growers, are very much worried about their produce as the traders do not come to the local markets to purchase vegetables, and the farmers apprehend that they might face huge losses in such a biting cold weather”, said Aftab Ali farmer of Kazakalu village under Dakshin Surma upazila.
Boro farming has also been hampered as the day-labourers could not work in the field in the biting cold, he added.
Many rickshaw and van-pullers cannot drive their vehicles and pass their time idly. Sometimes, they are found sitting on their vehicles, wrapping their body with blankets and kathas.
“I earn a meagre income and cannot afford to lead my family with it as I cannot run my vehicle in such a biting cold,” said rickshaw puller Islam Ali, a resident of Toker bazar in the district .
Middle and low-income group of people throng the road-side second hand markets to purchase worm cloths to save themselves from the chilling cold; but the prices of second-hand cloths go up by Tk 40 to 60 within a week.
Lack of worm cloths, many floating and distressed people try to fight with the cold by burning straw, paper and dry leaves beside the road-side.
On the other hand, many children and elderly persons have been attacked with cold-related diseases including pneumonia, bronchitis, diarrhoea, dysentery and jaundice; these diseases have broken out in the district as an epidemic form. More than 60 cold-related patients have already been admitted into Sylhet MAG Osmani Hospital in the last three days, and accommodation problem has been very acute, hospital sources said.
Dr A Rahman, a specialist at Paediatric Department of the Hospital, said about 100 to 150 cold-related patients are taking medical treatment everyday from the outdoor service. Now the situation is under control, he added.
