Cold weather paralyses normal life

Given its regular recurrence every year the government must equip the hardest hit poor people with appropriate winter clothing and medicines

Bangladesh, though not a cold country, is caught off-guard every year when winter approaches because we are simply never ready to counter its ills. Currently, extreme cold weather has been hampering regular life in many of our cities. Especially the late flow of wintry waves is hampering daily activities in the country’s northern Rajshahi and Rangpur cities for the last couple of days as the difference between maximum and minimum temperature has abnormally fallen. 
With a lowest 5.1 degree Celsius temperature recorded in Rajshahi, the people there are experiencing bone-chilling cold. Among the hardest hits are the people of low income groups like slum dwellers and poor tribal peoples of Tanore and Godagari upazilas of the district. Failing to cope with severe cold, many of them have turned ill. Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, private clinics and the upazila health complexes of the district are also experiencing a huge turnout of cold-related seasonal patients. 
Not that this weather related dilemma is new, but given its regular recurrence every year the government, besides concerned authorities, must equip the hardest hit poor people with appropriate winter clothing and medicines. Old age people and children are the worst sufferers of this harsh weather condition. Some four years ago, at least 80 people reportedly died as a result of extreme weather in Saidpur. These deaths could have been prevented if adequate amounts of assistance from the government to combat cold could be reached to the target people. Though thousands of blankets were distributed among the rural areas back then, but there were certain remote localities where winter aid never reached. Especially, with regard to winter diseases children are particularly vulnerable, falling victim to hypothermia and other various respiratory diseases. 
The government needs to have an approximate estimation of how many people are affected due to cold waves and aim towards implementing a long term strategy. If not all among the poor, every year we should aim to equip selective group of unaided sufferers to deal with extreme weather conditions on a regular basis. Drawing lessons from now, we expect the government to adopt initiatives to prevent further miseries and deaths before the next winter sets in. 

 

Cold weather paralyses normal life

Given its regular recurrence every year the government must equip the hardest hit poor people with appropriate winter clothing and medicines

Bangladesh, though not a cold country, is caught off-guard every year when winter approaches because we are simply never ready to counter its ills. Currently, extreme cold weather has been hampering regular life in many of our cities. Especially the late flow of wintry waves is hampering daily activities in the countrys northern Rajshahi and Rangpur cities for the last couple of days as the difference between maximum and minimum temperature has abnormally fallen. With a lowest 5.1 degree Celsius temperature recorded in Rajshahi, the people there are experiencing bone-chilling cold. Among the hardest hits are the people of low income groups like slum dwellers and poor tribal peoples of Tanore and Godagari upazilas of the district. Failing to cope with severe cold, many of them have turned ill. Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, private clinics and the upazila health complexes of the district are also experiencing a huge turnout of cold-related seasonal patients. Not that this weather related dilemma is new, but given its regular recurrence every year the government, besides concerned authorities, must equip the hardest hit poor people with appropriate winter clothing and medicines. Old age people and children are the worst sufferers of this harsh weather condition. Some four years ago, at least 80 people reportedly died as a result of extreme weather in Saidpur. These deaths could have been prevented if adequate amounts of assistance from the government to combat cold could be reached to the target people. Though thousands of blankets were distributed among the rural areas back then, but there were certain remote localities where winter aid never reached. Especially, with regard to winter diseases children are particularly vulnerable, falling victim to hypothermia and other various respiratory diseases. The government needs to have an approximate estimation of how many people are affected due to cold waves and aim towards implementing a long term strategy. If not all among the poor, every year we should aim to equip selective group of unaided sufferers to deal with extreme weather conditions on a regular basis. Drawing lessons from now, we expect the government to adopt initiatives to prevent further miseries and deaths before the next winter sets in.