The condition of poor and working class people became more vulnerable as the chilly winter clamped in the city from the advent of January. Due to mild wind throughout the day and night, the intensity of cold has been increased.
It is learnt, from early last morning (January-1) the intensity of cold started to raise which continued all through the day and night and this morning it registered a further increase. Many poor people, specially slum dwellers became helpless from the bitter cold and they tried to warm themselves up by burning straw and dry leaves around them.
Meteorologists of Rajshahi, however, indicated the bite of winter may feel further during the coming days.
They indicated, there are possibilities of blowing of a number of middle to intense range of cold waves across the city and the district during this January and the lowest day temperature may dip as low as 4 degree Celsius.
On the first day of the year, there was moderate rainfall in some places of the country though there was no rainfall in the northern region, the fog hangs over the region almost half of the day and the fields and roads were moist with fall of dew drops.
Abdus Salam, Observation Officer of Meteorological Department in Rajshahi informed, the night temperature may fall during next 48-hour and situation like cold wave may be created in some places of Rangpur and Rajshahi division.
However, the intensity of cold remained a bit lower than that of rural areas. Professor Sarwar Jahan of the Institute of Environmental Science of Rajshahi University informed, in populous urban area, the intensity of cold is felt 2 to 3 degree less that that of rural areas.
Due to burning of various materials and urban garbages, drains and slum areas disposed a huge carbon dioxide and other gases which keeps the city environment warm.
The winter may not last for a long time this year because there was a short summer and a prolonged rainy season this year informed Hedayetul Islam, a city planner in Rajshahi.
He further said, there might be a number of cold wave from the end of first week of January to the last week and from the last days of first week of February the winter will started to wane.
