TDS Desk:

A moderate cold wave is sweeping through northern Bangladesh, with Naogaon district recording the season’s lowest temperature of 6.7 degrees Celsius. Readings have been hovering between 6 and 11 degrees in recent days. Local residents reported low visibility and dense fog even at 8 a.m. this morning.

Wednesday’s 9 a.m. reading marked a sharp decline from the previous day’s low of 11 degrees Celsius. Dense fog and cloud cover have blanketed the region, forcing drivers of smaller vehicles to use headlights in daytime.

Daily routines and commerce have been severely disrupted. “The cold has been intense for two days,” said rickshaw puller Dabirul Islam from Naogaon’s Barunkandi area. “People are staying indoors, so my fares have dried up. But I must come out with my rickshaw to earn a living despite the hardship.”

Hamidul Haq, a senior observer at the Badalgachi Agriculture and Weather Observation Centre, confirmed the record low. “Cloud cover and wind are compounding the severity of the cold,” he noted.