Biting cold and intense fog are taking a heavy toll on people living in the northern region, especially those living in charlands.

Severity of cold is hampering agricultural work and damaging crops, and people are suffering from cold related diseases in most parts of the country, report our correspondents.

The lowest temperature yesterday was recorded in Gopalganj with six degrees Celsius and the second lowest in Faridpur with 6.1 degrees, according to Met office.

Met officials said the sun was not visible in some areas during the day with poor people, particularly farmers and day labourers, being the worst sufferers as they could not work in the field due to the cold snap.

Answering to a query, they said the cold wave might dissipate from Tuesday and temperature was likely to rise in a day or two.

They said a mild to moderate cold wave was sweeping through Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna and Barisal divisions and many regions of Tangail, Faridpur, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Sitakunda and Srimangal.

Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reports the temperature fell further during the day to 9.2 degree Celsius yesterday morning.

Our Gaibandha correspondent reports that biting cold and dense fog paralysed normal life in the district over the last couple of days. Trains and vehicular traffic, switching their head lights on till noon yesterday, maintained low speed, reaching destinations several hours later than usual.

No passenger ferry boats left the Balashi ghat due to thick fog, snapping communication of char people in the Jamuna river basin.

In Kurigram, thousands of people from over 250 chars are suffering from the cold, reports our Kurigram correspondent.

Dr Nazrul Islam, residential medical officer of Kurigram Sadar Hospital, yesterday said, “156 patients have been admitted in the hospital today [January 25] with various cold related diseases while over 300 have been given treatment in outpatient department.”