DHAKA: Intense cold wave conditions gripped again most parts of Bangladesh.
According to the latest weather bulletin from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), a severe temperature drop occurred in most parts of Bangladesh, starting at 9:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
The BMD noted that cold feelings may intensify during the day due to dense fog.
On Wednesday, the country's Jashore district, some 164 km from the capital city Dhaka, recorded the country's lowest temperature at 12.8 degrees Celsius.
In Dhaka, the minimum temperature was 16.3 degrees Celsius.
Over the past few days, the temperature in Dhaka has been rising by 1 to 2 degrees daily, reducing the feeling of cold during the day.
The sky over the capital and most parts of the country remained cloudy since Wednesday morning, while cars and buses are running by switching on headlights in the daytime on many Dhaka streets, Xinhua news agency reported.
The BMD also warned that dense fog could temporarily disrupt air navigation, inland river transport, and road communication.
Sunlight is reportedly completely absent in the country's northern districts due to dense fog, which causes sickness to rampant among poor floating people.
Amid the chilly weather, drifters in Dhaka have been facing a hard time due to the cold spell. Poor people in Dhaka were seen taking warm by firing wood. Sickness was rampant among these poor people.
In Bangladesh, people from the less affluent sections of society, particularly labourers, were the worst affected by the cold weather because they lacked clothes, while many others, especially children and elderly people, were prone to diseases such as pneumonia.
According to a local study published last year, there were at least 281 "cold wave induced" deaths on average annually in Bangladesh.
The month of January reportedly saw the highest number of such deaths, followed by December, according to the study.