RANGPUR, Jan 31, 2022 (BSS) - The sub-Himalayan town of Tentulia in Panchagarh recorded the season's lowest temperature of 6 degrees Celsius as sufferings of people mounted further today.
 
  The mercury levels marked little ups and downs during the past 24 hours ending at 6 pm today again forcing many people to remain indoors.
 
  Dense layers of fog amid blowing cooler winds caused a chilling cold, exposing the poor, elder citizens and minor children to intense miseries and forcing many people to remain indoors till 10 am today.
 
  Met Office sources said the country's lowest temperature of 6 degrees Celsius was recorded today at Tentulia monitoring point in Panchagarh district at 6 am.
 
  Besides, the minimum temperatures recorded today were 9.2 degrees Celsius at Rangpur, 7.8 degrees Celsius at Dinajpur, 8 degrees at Saidpur, 8.8 degrees at Dimla and 7.4 degrees Celsius at Rajarhat point in Kurigram in the northern region.
 
  Local residents said the number of patients with cough, fever, asthma and other cold and climate change related diseases continued increasing today like in recent days.
 
  Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Abu Md. Zakirul Islam told BSS that physicians are providing heath services to the increasing number of cold-related patents in hospitals and other health service facilities.
 
  "We have adequate stocks of medicines to provide treatments to cold-related patients," Dr. Islam said, adding that special steps have been taken while treating patients abiding by the health directives amid the deteriorating Covid-19 situation.
 
  Meanwhile, the district and upazila administrations, voluntary, professional and socio-cultural organisations have intensified distribution of warm clothes among cold-stricken people.
 
  Divisional Commissioner Md. Abdul Wahhab Bhuiyan said distribution of warm clothes has been intensified further among cold- hit people in all eight districts of Rangpur division.
 
   
 
  "The government has sanctioned adequate blankets for distribution among the cold-affected people of Nilphamari, Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts in Rangpur division," he added.
 
  Besides, the administrations are distributing warm clothes among cold-hit people after purchasing those locally with the money allocated by the government for all eight districts in the division to mitigate their sufferings.
 
  Additional Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) for Rangpur region Md. Mahbubur Rahman said the sweeping cold wave might affect growth of Rabi crop plants, including potato and Boro seedlings, if the situation further deteriorates.
 
  "The field level sub-assistant agriculture officers are assisting farmers to take proper care of growing Rabi crop plants and Boro rice seedlings," he said, adding that transplantation of Boro rice seedlings however continues smoothly despite the cold wave.
 
 
  "Farmers should contact the field level DAE officials in their respective areas for necessary suggestions on nursing their growing crop plants and Boro rice seedlings if the situation further deteriorates for few more days," Rahman added.
 
  According to reports reaching here from the remote and char villages in Kurigram, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur and Nilphamari districts of the region said that normal life remained severely affected there today.