Dense fog disrupts road, air traffic in northern districts

Dense fog over the northern districts has disrupted road and air traffic, especially in Dinajpur, Panchagarh, and Thakurgaon.Two Biman Bangladesh flights were unable to land on schedule at Saidpur airport in Nilphamari this morning after visibility was reduced to 400 metres, significantly lower than the required 2,000-metre threshold.

The airport's manager AKM Bahauddin Zakaria, said the flights were scheduled for landing at 8:00am but were delayed by an hour, affecting about a hundred passengers.

Besides, Rabiul Islam, a pickup truck driver, said, "We departed Dhaka around midnight yesterday and were supposed to reached Dinajpur around 8:00am today. However, we were delayed by a few hours as the fog was too dense in Gaibandha's Gobindaganj upazila this morning."

A similar ordeal was shared by Azizar Rahman, a battery-run three-wheeler driver of Dinajpur's Rajbari area.

Dinajpur witnessed 16.8 degrees Celsius today, its record lowest temperature this season so far. Misty mornings have already become a regular in the area, with the sun breaking through clouds around 11:15am, causing visibility issues for transport workers.

According to Tofazzal Hossain, an official of the Met office in Dinajpur, northern districts experience early winters due to their proximity to the Himalayas.

"Temperatures below 18 degrees Celsius were already recorded in Panchagarh's Tetulia at the end of October," he said, adding that dense fog has been persistent since early yesterday.

The winter spell for the past two days has raised concerns for the locals, especially transport workers and farmers, as fog harshen their working conditions while raising chances of accidents.

The prolonged fog has also raised concerns for farmers, as dense fog can damage crops and limit yield, said Shafiqul Islam, a farmer of Dinajpur Sadar.

According to the Met office, today's weather saw 94 percent humidity at 9:00am and a wind speed of 2 km/h from the north. While the highest temperature in Dinajpur reached 29.4 degrees Celsius, the lowest temperature countrywide was recorded at 15.4 degrees Celsius in Naogaon's Badalgachhi.