Moulvibazar district, surrounded by haors, hills and tea gardens, is currently experiencing a severe cold wave, with tea workers and low-income labourers bearing the brunt of the harsh winter. Dense fog and icy winds have intensified suffering across the district’s 93 tea gardens, disrupting normal life.
According to the Srimangal Meteorological Office, the lowest temperature in Srimangal was recorded at 9.6 degrees Celsius at 6:00am on Thursday. Earlier, temperatures stood at 12.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday (December 31) and 14.6 degrees Celsius on both Tuesday and Monday. However, persistent dense fog has made the cold feel much harsher than the recorded temperatures suggest.
Despite the biting cold, tea workers and daily wage labourers are forced to leave for work early in the morning, often without adequate warm clothing. Rural residents are also enduring extreme hardship as the cold wave continues.
The sky remained heavily foggy throughout Wednesday, with no sunshine, and similar conditions have prevailed since Thursday morning. As a result, many low-income people have crowded roadside footpaths in search of affordable winter clothing.
Meanwhile, hospitals are witnessing a rise in cold-related illnesses. Moulvibazar Sadar Hospital and upazila health complexes are seeing increasing numbers of children and elderly patients seeking treatment.
Anisur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the Srimangal Meteorological Observatory, said a mild cold wave is currently sweeping the region.
