Photo: BSS

KURIGRAM, Dec 6, 2025 (BSS) - Even before the official onset of the cold wave, Kurigram district is experiencing severe disruption in public life due to shivering cold winds, dense fog, and heavy overnight dew.

Residents, especially in char areas surrounded by rivers, are facing intensified hardships from the cold. Out of 469 chars along the banks of 16 rivers in the district, 269 are inhabited, sheltering around 550,000 people. Many of them are confined to their homes as the icy winds make outdoor activities difficult.

Normal life has been disrupted in several char areas, including Daikhawar Char, Rawlia, and Jatrapur Union on the Brahmaputra in Sadar Upazila; Char Gujimari-Dagarkuti in Hatia Union, Ulipur; Karai Barisal in Chilmari; Ashtami Char and Sukher Bati in Roumari; Char Bidyananda on the Teesta in Rajarhat; and Gorak Mandal on the Dharla River, along with Dhani Ram and Jagmohaner Char.

"About 16,000 people living in chars such as Kaliralga, Goyalpuri, Jhunkar Char, Rolakata, Porar Char and Bhagwatipur are facing extreme distress in the winter. Children and elderly people are particularly affected," Jatrapur Union Parishad Chairman Abdul Gafur told BSS. 

Day laborers are also struggling, as many are unable to work due to the extreme cold, leaving them and their families in severe hardship.

Subal Chandra Sarkar, officer-in-charge of the Rajarhat Agricultural Meteorological Observatory, said the lowest temperature recorded in the district today was 12.7 degrees Celsius, with humidity at 97 percent.

"A cold wave may hit Kurigram after December 15. Until then, temperatures are expected to hover around 12 degrees," he added.

Meanwhile, hospitals across the district are reporting a rise in cold-related illnesses, including cough, fever, and pneumonia, particularly among children and the elderly.