"I could not see through the fog and it was so cold that I had no choice but to burn the mat to keep me warm," said Matin, a beggar who spends the nights at the Green Road-Panthapath intersection.

Like Matin, thousands of street-dwellers are suffering extensively without warm clothes in the cold and fog.

Although, the 21 people who died due to the cold wave in the last few days lived outside the city, these street-dwellers fear that they too may soon add to the list.

"We cannot afford any sweaters, jackets or mufflers with our limited earnings," said Selim, Matin's neighbour. Selim sells boiled eggs during the day. He channels most of his income to his family in Meherpur.

"Most of us can hardly afford to rent a shanty in a nearby slum. Therefore, we live on the street," he said.

Besides Selim and Matin, rickshaw-pullers, vegetable sellers, peddlers, day labourers and others from diversified professions, 19 in all, reside in this particular spot.

"This place is cheap. Each of us pay around Tk 10 -20 to the security guards depending on our daily income," said Matin.

The group was larger before the cold wave struck.

"Over 12 or 13 others moved to warmer spots in the nearby market areas," said another street-dweller.

Despite his desire to move to warmer parts, this particular street-dweller could not do so because of the high rent.

The street-dwellers employ a number of techniques to fight the chilling cold.

"We usually light a fire and huddle around it during the coldest nights. We collect waste products, paper and other flammable objects that we can lay our hands on from nearby dustbins and along the streets to light up the fire," said Selim.

Most cover themselves with their lungis, shirts and other clothing while they sleep.

Some resort to smoking birri and ganja. "These keep the body warm," said one smoker.

Street-dwellers in Kalabagan, Rayerbazar, Shahbagh, Ramna Park, Bashabo, Badda, Mohakhali, Kamlapur, Segunbagicha and other parts of the city too use these techniques.

"Passers-by and residents of nearby buildings take a lot of interest in our crude lifestyle," said Latif, a street-dweller of Segunbagicha.

He said that despite their interest very few come forward to offer them any form of help.

"We can only pray for the well-being of the affluent, who are kind enough to give us warm clothing, blankets, rugs or simply some money with which to buy these items to survive the cold," he said.

Though the weather conditions have improved lately, forecasts predicted another cold wave at the end of this month, which will further sustain the misery of these street-dwellers.