Photo : BSS

KURIGRAM, Dec 21, 2025 (BSS) - The intensity of winter has begun to increase across the district, with cold northern winds and dense fog severely disrupting public life, particularly in the char (riverine island) areas. 
 
Although no official cold wave has been declared, residents say the biting cold and persistent fog have made daily life increasingly difficult.

According to the Rajarhat Agricultural Meteorological Observatory, the lowest temperature recorded in the district on Saturday was 12 degrees Celsius, while air humidity stood at 98 percent. 

Dew has been falling heavily throughout the night, and by morning thick fog blankets the chars and rural areas, intensifying the cold.
 
Kurigram has 469 chars spread over about 850 square kilometers along the banks of 16 rivers. Of these, 269 chars are inhabited, supporting the lives and livelihoods of nearly 550,000 people. 

Due to dense fog and cold winds, residents of these cold-prone areas are largely confined indoors. The impact of winter is being felt most acutely in the char areas of Kurigram Sadar, Ulipur and Nageshwari upazilas in the Brahmaputra basin, and Rajarhat upazila in the Teesta basin.
 
Hossain Ali, a ward member of Kalir Alga Char under Ward No. 7 of Jatrapur union in Sadar upazila, said around 3,000 people live in his char. "At least 500 people, including elderly persons and children, are passing their days in extreme hardship due to the lack of winter clothes," he said. 
 
He added that people suffering from cold-related problems visit his home daily seeking help. "I have made a list and assured them that they will get blankets, but so far no winter clothes have arrived from either the government or private sources," he said.

The elderly, children and daily wage earners are the worst affected. Many daily labourers are unable to go out for work due to the cold, resulting in loss of income and increased suffering.
 
Officer-in-Charge of the Rajarhat Agricultural Meteorological Observatory, Subal Chandra Sarkar, warned that temperatures may drop further in the coming days, increasing the risk of more severe winter conditions.

Professor Shafiqul Islam Bebu, President of the Kurigram District Char Development Committee, said that the district has a population of about 23.29 lakh, of which nearly 70.8 percent are poor-amounting to approximately 16.49 lakh people. 
 
"Most of the poor live in char areas. Due to weak communication systems, the condition of char residents often goes unnoticed," he said. 
 
He urged the district administration to ensure that winter clothing distribution reaches those genuinely suffering."

Responding to the concerns, Kurigram District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Abdul Matin said that Taka 54 lakh has been allocated for the distribution of winter clothes across the district's nine upazilas. 
 
"The distribution of blankets and other winter items among cold-affected people will begin very soon," he said.
 
Meanwhile, residents fear that suffering in the char areas will worsen if temperatures continue to fall. Local communities and civil society groups have called for the immediate, fair and transparent distribution of winter clothes to protect the most vulnerable.