Rainfall likely in Kathmandu today

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, June 15: Kathmandu is likely to receive rainfall on Saturday. According to a meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division, Kathmandu has a 30 per cent chance of receiving rainfall on Saturday.

The heatwave that has been affecting the Tarai for the past few days will continue until June 17, said Saroj Pudashaini, a senior meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

On Friday, almost all the districts in Lumbini Province and the western parts of Sudurpashchim Province recorded temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or above. “There is no chance of rainfall for the next few days in those districts, and the heatwave alert is still in effect,” Pudashaini said.

Today, the maximum temperature in Kathmandu was recorded at 33.1 degrees Celsius. Similarly, the maximum temperature in Nepalgunj was recorded at 43.2 degrees Celsius, in Dhangadhi at 42.7 degrees Celsius, in Dipayal at 41.6 degrees Celsius and in Birendranagar at 40.9 degrees Celsius.

However, some of the eastern parts are receiving rainfall, while other areas have cloudy conditions, so the temperature in the eastern part is quite normal, he added. The maximum temperature in Biratnagar was recorded at 28.3 degrees Celsius on Friday.

Meanwhile, our Nepalgunj correspondent Siraj Khan reported that due to the extreme heatwave, hospitals and health institutions in Banke are currently overwhelmed with patients.

Various hospitals in Nepalgunj have reported a significant increase in patients suffering from heat-related problems. Among them, Bheri Hospital has recorded a large number of patients suffering from diarrhoea, stomach pain, sudden fainting, headaches and reduced blood pressure leading to semi-consciousness due to the heatwave.

Dr. Sanket Kumar Risal, the Information Officer at Bheri Hospital, said that most of the patients coming to the OPD and emergency are suffering from heat-related issues. He said that while the OPD at Bheri Hospital typically receives an average of 200 patients daily, this number has now increased to around 400.

With the increase in patient flow, Bheri Hospital is facing problems in providing beds for patients. Dr. Risal noted that the emergency room, ICU, and medicine wards are fully occupied. 

He said, “The patient load at Bheri is such that all the beds in the emergency room, ICU and medicine wards are full. This is not usually the case, but currently, there are difficulties in treating new patients.”

Dr. Risal also indicated that the patient flow is expected to increase further if it rains after the extreme heat.

Along with Bheri Hospital, the nursing homes, Western Hospital, Siddhartha Hospital and the Medical College in Kohalpur are also seeing a significant increase in patient numbers.

Dr. Roman Kidwai, the assistant director of Nepalgunj Medical College Teaching Hospital, said that the number of patients showing symptoms like fever, stomach pain and diarrhoea is increasing.