The Daily Morning Voice Online Desk: Sufferings of people have mounted due to fall in temperature below 10 degree Celcius in the northern Kurigram district over the last one week. The lowest temperature in the district was recorded at 8.1 degree Celcius on Tuesday (January 17, 2023). Shivering cold and dense fog have hit Kurigram district hard, disrupting the normal life of people. Poor and low income group of people are suffering from cold due to lack of warm clothes.

Vehicles have to move with headlights even in the daytime, and cold is forcing people to stay home. The daily wage earners are the worst sufferer as they could not go out for work due to cold. Children have become worst sufferers due to various diseases including diarrhoea, pneumonia and breathing complications after the temperature went down. Thirty-three, out of 38 patients, admitted against 12 beds at Diarrhoea Ward of 250-Bed Kurigram General Hospital are children. More than double patients are taking treatment against 78 beds in General Ward. Besides, 62 children are taking treatment against 48 beds in Children’s Ward of the hospital. Some 1,500-1,800 are taking treatment at the outdoor of the hospital everyday.

Besides, the pressure of patients is growing at the upazila health complexes. Some people were seen warming themselves in the morning after setting fire on husks beside the road. Razarhat Agriculture Weather Observatory Office said they have recorded temperature below 10 degrees Celsius in Kurigram district from January 8 to January 15. Though the temperature went up on january 16, it again went down to 8.1 degree Celsius at 6:00am on January 17.

Kurigram General Hospital’s resident physician Dr Shahinur Rahman Shipon said pressure of patients had gone up from the beginning of winter. “However, we have been providing treatment coping with the pressure,” he said. Meanwhile, Kurigram deputy commissioner Saidul Arif said some 38,000 blankets have been distributed by the district administration among poor and destitute in Kurigram district who have been affected most by cold. Besides, more 25,000 blankets will be distributed among people.