Cold spell grips most of Tarai districts

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Jan. 10: Most districts in the Tarai region have been grappling with prolonged cold days, as dense fog and mist have blanketed the eastern and southern parts of the Tarai for the past several days.

The continuous cold spell has affected over 150,000 people in the Banke district alone, while the Himalayan districts are experiencing snowfall, which has further intensified the cold in the lowland areas.

Our Banke correspondent Siraj Khan reported that the cold wave is expected to impact 178,000 people in the Banke district alone.

According to the District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC), the Cold Wave Preparedness and Response Plan 2081 (2024/2025), prepared by the committee, estimated that 35,780 households, comprising 178,920 individuals across the eight municipalities of Banke district, will be affected by the cold wave. 

For this, immediate actions to mitigate the impact have already been initiated, said Khagendra Prasad Rijal, Chief District Officer and Chairperson of the DDMC.

Rijal said that among the 132,520 households in the district, over 35,000 households are at high risk due to the cold wave. “To address the issue, response plans have been designed accordingly,” he said.

Rupen Gyawali, Information Management Officer at the District Emergency Operations Centre, Banke said that all preparations, including rescue, relief and treatment for the affected, have been completed, with responsibilities assigned to all municipalities in the district.

The DDMC has said that measures to protect the public from the cold wave include distributing firewood, warm clothing and providing health treatment. Security personnel, healthcare workers, and disaster management committees have been instructed to remain on standby.

Similarly, Sachin Pokharel, our Itahari correspondent reported that reduced visibility due to fog and mist on highways has increased road accidents.

According to the Highway Safety and Traffic Management Office, Itahari, vehicles, especially in the morning and evening, face significant challenges operating under these conditions. Due to the dense fog, buses, trucks and other vehicles are unable to reach their destinations on time, causing inconvenience to passengers. The office reported 11 road accidents in eastern Nepal in the past week.

Similarly, cold wave and poor weather have also disrupted air services. Flights at Biratnagar Airport have been delayed, with some cancellations, forcing passengers to wait for extended periods at the airport.

Locals in Itahari have been trying to beat the cold by lighting fires or sitting around heaters, said local Manish Khadka. However, people in rural areas of Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari have been facing difficulties due to a lack of enough firewood. Government and private hospitals have reported an increase in the number of patients, said Dr. Shashi Sharma Rijal, Director of Purwanchal University Teaching Hospital.

Health workers have advised people to pay special attention to the care of children and the elderly. Families in poor financial situations, lacking sufficient warm clothing, are among the most affected.

The increasing cold has also affected educational institutions. Many colleges in the Tarai region have given holidays due to the cold. Community and private schools have planned to declare winter holidays after completing their trimester exams by Friday. Most local governments have coordinated with PABSON and NPABSON to implement the winter holiday. 

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) has clarified that a cold wave has not yet been recorded in the Tarai region, although the number of cold days continues to increase. Rojan Lamichhane, a meteorologist at the Division, stated that while the fog and mist in the southern Tarai have improved since Thursday, the situation has worsened in the Chure range. He added that similar conditions are expected to persist on Friday, but there is no basis to declare a cold wave currently.

On Thursday, the minimum temperature in Kathmandu was recorded at 3 degrees Celsius. Similarly, Pokhara recorded 4 degrees Celsius, Jiri and Jumla both registered minus 2 degrees Celsius, while the lowest temperature of the day was observed in Jumla at minus 6 degrees Celsius.