Dhaka, Feb 2 (UNB) - A mild cold wave is sweeping several parts of the country and it may continue, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said Thursday morning. According to the regular bulletin of BMD, “Mild cold wave is sweeping Nilphamari, Pabna, Dinajpur and Kurigram districts and it may continue.” Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country, it said. Moderate to thick fog may occur at places over the river basins and light to moderate fog may occur elsewhere the country from late night to morning, said the bulletin. Night temperature may fall slightly and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country. Read more: Mild cold wave sweeps 4 districts, minimum temperature up slightly Meanwhile, the depression over Southwest Bay and adjoining area moved west-southwestwards and crossed Sri Lanka Coast on Thursday. It is likely to move west-southwestwards directionfurther. Its associated trough extends up to North Bay. Ridge of sub-continental high extends up to West Bengal and adjoining area.

A spate of wildfires is scorching parts of Europe, with firefighters battling blazes in Portugal, Spain and southern France on Wednesday amid an unusual heat wave that authorities are linking to climate change. In Portugal, Civil Protection commander André Fernandes said that multiple fires have caused the evacuation of more than 600 people. About 120 people needed medical treatment, with two people — one civilian and one firefighter — suffering serious injuries, Fernandes said. Water-dumping planes helped 1,300 firefighters combat the worst of the blazes in the nation’s central area, while another 1,000 worked to bring other fires under control. The European heat wave is also sparking flames in Spain and France — and in Turkey at the other end of the Mediterranean. More than 800 firefighters battled two wildfires in the region outside Bordeaux in southwest France, according to the regional emergency service. The fires began Tuesday near the towns of Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch, and firefighters hadn't been able to contain them by Wednesday morning. Read: Massive mangrove forestry planned to protect wildlife and expand forest coverage About 6,500 people have been evacuated from campgrounds and villages in the forested area. The number of injuries is unclear. The two fires have destroyed more than 1,800 hectares (4,400 acres) of terrain, the emergency service said. Images from firefighters showed flames racing through thickets of trees and grassland, fanned by strong winds, and smoke blackening the horizon. The regional administration banned activity in forested areas at risk. Several regions in southern France are on fire alert because of hot, dry weather and high winds. Wildfires swept through the Gard region in southeast France last week. Portugal has long experienced fatal forest fires. In 2017, wildfires killed more than 100 people. No one has died from a wildfire since then as Portugal improved its forest management and firefighting strategies. Last year, Portugal recorded its lowest number of wildfires since 2011. But a mass of hot and dry air blown in by African winds are driving temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula beyond their usual highs. Also read: B’desh explores transboundary wildlife corridor with India and Myanmar: Minister  The Atlantic country, which has been on alert of wildfires since last week, is sweltering under a spike in temperatures that is forecast to send thermometers in the central Alentejo region to 46 C (115 F) on Wednesday and Thursday. Authorities said that 96% of the country was classified at the end of June as being in either “extreme” or “severe” drought. More than 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) had been consumed alone in the district of Leiria, just north of Lisbon, Mayor Goncalo Lopes told Portuguese state broadcaster RTP. Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, who canceled a trip abroad to deal with the emergency, said that better care of woodlands and abandoned farmland was key to protecting them. “In 2017 the country realized that having enough firefighters is essential, but it is not enough,” Costa said. “We have to get to the root of the problem … The abandonment of property and its non-management is one of the biggest risk factors for forest fires.” Neighboring Spain hit highs of 43 C (109.4 F) in several southern cities on Tuesday. Over 400 people were evacuated on Tuesday because of a wildfire that has consumed 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) in western Spain. European Union officials issued a warning last week that climate change is behind the extremely dry and hot summer so far on the continent, urging local authorities to brace for wildfires. Cayetano Torres, spokesman for Spain’s national weather forecaster, said that the “unusual” heat wave and lack of rainfall in recent months has created ideal circumstances for fires. “These are perfect conditions for the propagation of fires, which when you add to that some wind, you have have guaranteed propagation,” he said. In southwestern Turkey, a blaze erupted in an area close to the village of Mesudiye, near the Aegean Sea resort of Datca, and was moving in the direction of some homes in the area, according to the provincial governor’s office. It said at least nine water-dropping helicopters and five planes were deployed to battle the fire. Last summer, blazes that were fed by strong winds and scorching temperatures tore through forests in Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean regions. The wildfires, which killed at least eight people and countless animals, were described as the worst in Turkey’s history. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government came under criticism for its inadequate response and preparedness to fight large-scale wildfires, including a lack of modern firefighting planes.

Normal life was affected as several parts of Bangladesh reeled under cold wave-like conditions on Saturday. The lowest temperature of the country was recorded at 7 degrees Celsius at Rajarhat in Kurigram district and Tetulia in Panchagarh district, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said. Dhaka’s minimum temperature was recorded at 12.6 degrees, it said “The mild to moderate cold wave is likely to continue for 2-3 days more in some parts of the country,” said a meteorologist at BMD. According to the regular bulletin, “Mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping over Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions and the districts of Gopalgonj, Tangail, Kishoregonj, Feni, Jashore, Kushtia, Chuadanga  and Barishal and it may continue.” READ: Cold wave sweeps parts of Bangladesh Weather may remain dry over the country. On the other hand, moderate to thick fog may occur over northwestern parts and light to moderate fog may occur at places elsewhere over the country during midnight to Sunday morning, according to the bulletin. Night and day temperatures may remain nearly unchanged over the country. READ: Brace for mild cold wave! UNB Kurigram Correspondent reports: “The temperature may dip further in the district in the next couple of days,” said sources at the Kurigram Weather Observatory Centre. People belonging to the economically weaker section, especially the daily wagers, are the worst sufferers. Many of them have no proper warm clothes to wear.

Parts of Bangladesh reeled under a cold wave on Friday, making life difficult for many people. According to the weather department, the mild to moderate cold wave swept Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions, and the districts of Gopalgonj, Tangail, Jashore, Mymensingh, Moulvibazar and Kushtia. The cold wave may continue and spread during the next two days, the weather office has predicted. “Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country, with chances of moderate to thick fog over the river basins and light to moderate fog may occur elsewhere over the country during midnight to morning,” the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said in its bulletin. READ: Brace for mild cold wave! Night temperature may fall by 1-2 degrees. The day temperature may fall slightly over the country, according to the department. According to the Met office, the ridge of sub-continental high extends up to West Bengal and adjoining northwestern part of Bangladesh. Seasonal low lies over the South Bay. READ: Mild cold wave sweeps four districts In the past 24 hours, the weather department recorded 1mm of rainfall in Srimangal and 9 mm in Maijdee court.

As the ‘super mutant’ Omicron strain of Covid-19 is spreading fast in many countries displacing the previously dominant Delta variant, experts warned that Bangladesh is all but certain to see a fresh wave of the deadly virus. They also cautioned that the Omicron may take a heavy toll on over 8 crore unvaccinated people, mainly the kids and elderly people, if there is an outbreak of the Covid variant in the country amid people’s serious apathy to wear masks outside and maintain health safety rules. Since Omicron is three times more transmissible than the Delta, the analysts advised the government to tighten the enforcement machinery to force people to follow all Covid-safety protocols alongside properly screening the incoming passengers through air and land ports and ensuring their quarantine. They think all the incoming passengers coming from the Omicron-hit countries should be kept in institutional quarantine to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Covid variant. Prof Dr Nazrul Islam, ex VC of BSMMU, Prof Dr Mushtuq Hussain, IEDCR’s consultant, and Prof Dr Bijon Kumar Sil, head of Gono Bishwabidyalay’s Microbiology department, made the observations while talking to UNB. Health Minister Zahid Maleque also voiced concern that the Covid infection may spike in the country since most people do not wear masks and follow hygiene rules. The country has been witnessing a steady rise in Covid cases for the last few days and the two first Omicron cases were reported here on December 11. Read: Bangladesh bracing for third Covid wave? Possible fresh wave Noted Virologist Professor Dr Nazrul Islam said two people in the country have already been identified with Omicron variant. “So, its wave may come to Bangladesh, and we’ve to be very careful about those who are coming from abroad.” He said the Covid infection has started increasing again and it may continue to grow slowly till February next. “The country is likely to face a fresh wave in March with the rise in temperature. The number of cases will go up alarmingly in the middle of that month.” The expert said usually Covid infections remain low during winter due to the intervention of many other respiratory viruses and flus like influenza. Prof Mushtaq Hussain said Bangladesh is at a high risk of witnessing a wave of Omicron in the days to come like the African and European countries.  “Omicron is already in the community transmission stage in some African and European countries. So, there’s no reason to think that Bangladesh would not experience an outbreak of Omicron,” he said. Though there is no fresh case of Omicron after two imported ones in the country, he said the infection rate may continue to surge after a few days. “After the coronavirus infection was detected in Wuhan, China, and Delta strain in India, many people thought that it would not come to Bangladesh. But they were proved wrong. So, we fear a community transmission of Omicron in Bangladesh.” Noted microbiologist Bijon Kumar Sil said Omicron will gradually spread to different areas of the country after deepening its roots. He said Omicron has spread to over 100 countries within a month, showing its highly contagious nature. “So, I don’t think we’ll get rid of this virus. There may be some unidentified people in our country that is why the infection rate is now showing an uptrend.”