The northern town of Tetulia recorded the country's lowest temperature on Saturday at 9.4°C as a mild cold wave continued there, although weather conditions in other parts of the northern region improved significantly.
Met Office sources said minimum temperature mostly remained unchanged while maximum temperature marked rises during the last 24hrs till this afternoon bringing huge relief to common people in most areas across the region.
Saturday's minimum temperature was recorded at 12.5°C in Rangpur, 12°C in Dinajpur, 11.8 °C in Saidpur, 12°C at Dimla in Nilphamari and 13°C at Rajarhat in Kurigram district monitoring points in the region.
The maximum temperature ranged between 24°C and 26.6°C on Friday with a little rise at places on Saturday in the northern region.
Like Friday, the weather marked a significant improvement as the sun appeared in a clear sky free from fog and clouds in the region from Saturday morning bringing huge relief to the common people for the second consecutive day.
Earlier on Tuesday and Wednesday last, the severity of the cold forced thousands to stay indoors affecting normal activities as the sun remained covered by fog and clouds all day amid blowing cooler winds.
Normal activities resumed in crop fields and farmlands and vehicular movement on the roads and highways became usual in the region except at places in the sub-Himalayan Panchagarh district where a mild cold wave still continues.
Physicians and officials at hospitals, upazila health complexes and community clinics said the number of patients with cough, fever, asthma and other cold-related diseases was still rushing on Saturday like in the previous few days.
There are adequate stocks of medicines in the district, upazila and union level government-run health service facilities and special steps have been taken to treat cold-related patients, including babies and children.
The district administrations, voluntary, sociocultural and charitable organizations, trade bodies and NGOs have further intensified the distribution of warm clothes among cold-hit people to mitigate their sufferings.
Rangpur District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) Md Motahar Hossain said: “The distribution of 30,000 pieces of blankets allocated so far by the government and locally purchased are being distributed to cold-stricken people of the district.”
Kurigram DRRO Md Abdul Hye Sarker said: “The district administration continues the distribution of 32,000 pieces of blankets allocated so far by the government and purchased locally among the cold-affected people.”
Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Obaidur Rahman Mondal told BSS that agriculture officers are assisting farmers in nursing their growing winter crop plants and Boro rice seedlings properly to save those from cold injuries.
He also suggested farmers irrigate Boro rice seedbeds at night and discharge water in the mornings and keep seedbeds under cover of polythene sheets to save seedlings from cold injuries if the situation deteriorates again in the future.
