KHULNA, Dec 19: With the beginning of Bangla month of Poush, Khulna district is suddenly facing bone shaking cold.
In the southwestern part of the country, cold wave and dense fog have led normal life to come to a standstill. Chilly air is blowing over the district for the last three days.
As the mercury began to come down, the picture of winter has returned. People are crowding warm clothes shops in Khulna city.
People are trembling in the morning and the evening, even in winter clothes. People are seen to warm their hands in the flames of burning paper in the city in the evening. As the night wears on, dense fog descends on the roads. Such is the image in Khulna over the last three days.
In the last few days, people were facing the bite of winter. Amaresh Chandra Dhali, Deputy Assistant of the Khulna District Meteorological Office, said cold wave was flowing over Khulna division.
The lowest temperature in the district was recorded last night at 15 degrees Celsius. And today it is 12 degrees Celsius. The temperature may drop about two or three degrees on December 20, 21, 22. The lowest temperature in the Khulna region is recorded at Chuadanga last night at 7.9 degrees Celsius.
According to local sources, with biting cold wind blowing, it is making normal activities of the people hard around the district. The elderly, women and children are most affected.
Thousands of poor people have been suffering due to scarcity of winter clothes and food. They think the cold wave will continue over the district for a week.
As the mercury is falling day by day, the sale of winter clothes is increasing in the city footpath markets.
Low and middle income people are purchasing clothes to get some relief from the cold. Hot clothes have been bought and sold. Thick fog has been visible at night and late morning.
Sellers of winter clothes are sitting at the footpath markets of Khulna jetty more. All day, buyers throng the shops. The crowd has grown considerably.
Supply of warm clothes in clothing stores is increasing, including old and new sweaters, jackets, shirts and trousers. The pavement shops are now busy from morning till night. Low and middle income people are gathering at the footpath shops to buy winter clothes.
Warm clothes sellers Jamal Biswas, Aminul Haque, Harun and Ali said all varieties of clothes are sold on the sidewalks near Khulna ferryghat junction. Sweaters and jackets are being sold at Tk 300 to Tk 500.
Student Azizur Rahaman said, "It has been cold for the last three days. From the morning, he is getting out of bed wearing warm clothes, tights and mufflers. It is quite chilly but I have to go out the house for tutors.''
Apart from Khulna city, the bite of winter is more in the village. The cold and fog has increased the suffering, specially of the children and the elderly. The prevalence of cold, cough, fever and respiratory diseases has increased. The earnings of low-income people have also been adversely affected.
All of a sudden, this change in the weather is causing the people to suffer. Due to the severe winter, people are unable to get out of the house.
There are serious disruptions in the daily activities of people including business. The poor people cannot go to work. There is no limit to the suffering of the poor, helpless, marginalised and low income people - particularly for the poor people who live on the railway stations and slums. Despite the severe winter, none from public or private sector has distributed winter clothes in Khulna.
Khulna Shishu Hospital administrative officer Al-Amin Rakib said children are suffering from severe winter. They are infected with cold-related diseases including pneumonia and bronchitis, fever, cold cough and shortness of breath. The number of patients is increasing at the hospital, he added.
Our correspondent from Tangail writes: The sale of second hand warm clothes is gaining momentum at different makeshift shops and shopping malls in the district.
People are busy purchasing blankets, woolen sweaters, shawls, mufflers and coats.
Low income group of people are gathering at the makeshift and footpath shops and rich people to brand shops or at the shopping mall.
Price of warm clothes is higher than the previous year at the makeshift second-hand shops, traders and customers said.
Makeshift shops in the busy market area, old bus station, Park Moydan Bazar, Kalibari Road are flooded with different winter clothes.
Arman Miah, a second-hand warm clothes trader near the land registry office said, "I sell a huge quantity of warm clothes every day. Demand for second-hand warm clothes is higher than the new warm clothes."
Small trader Shahar Ali said low-income group try to purchase second hand warm clothes such as sweater, coat, trouser, jacket, muffler, blanket from the road side makeshift shops.
Rickshaw puller Abbas Ali, who lives in the Berabuchana area of the district town said, "We are poor. I can't afford to buy new warm clothes. So I have come to the second hand warm clothes markets to purchase cheap warm clothes."