Sreemangal in Moulvibazar has recorded the lowest temperature in the country, as a sharp cold wave continues to grip the region. On Thursday (January 8), the mercury dropped to 7 degrees Celsius, the lowest recorded anywhere in Bangladesh that day.
According to Sreemangal Weather Observatory observer Mujibur Rahman, the temperature was measured at 7°C at both 6am and 9am. He said this is the lowest temperature recorded this year so far in Sreemangal. Just a day earlier, on Wednesday, the minimum temperature stood at 8.6°C.
Weather officials say temperatures may fluctuate over the next few days, but cold conditions are likely to persist. Dense fog has been hanging over Sreemangal and much of Moulvibazar district for several days, with the cold intensifying as days pass.
The biting winter has been felt most sharply in the haor areas and tea gardens surrounding the popular tourist town. Children and elderly residents are suffering from cold-related illnesses, while daily life has been severely disrupted by icy winds and thick fog.
For many poor families, the lack of warm clothing has turned nights into a struggle. Burning firewood and straw has become their only way to keep warm. Unlike previous years, local residents say there has been little visible initiative so far to distribute blankets or winter clothing.
Livestock and poultry have also been affected by the cold spell, while farmers fear damage to boro rice seedbeds due to prolonged fog. “It’s impossible to move around in this cold. We have to sit by the fire,” said Oli Miah, a resident of Hail Haor. Another resident, Rahima Begum, said her family has no blankets and is struggling to cope.
Tea garden worker Tapan Baidya described the situation as unbearable. “The cold is bone-chilling. We gather around fires just to survive,” he said, adding that many low-income workers are yet to receive government-issued winter aid.
Sources say the local administration has distributed around 2,000 blankets so far.
Health officials at Sreemangal Upazila Health Complex report a steady rise in winter-related patients, mostly children and the elderly. Meanwhile, meteorologists say a mild cold wave is currently sweeping over the region.
Historically, Sreemangal has often recorded the country’s lowest temperatures. According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department records, the town saw an all-time low of 2.8°C on February 4, 1968. In recent decades, temperatures as low as 4°C were recorded in 1995, 2007, and 2013.