Harsh cold waves coupled with dense fog have made life increasingly difficult for people across the Tarai region, with those at the bottom of the social ladder bearing the brunt of the adverse weather conditions.
In Sarlahi district of Madhes Province, the marginalized Dalit Mushar families are among the hardest hit, left to endure extreme cold with minimal resources.
At Nakai in Basbariya Rural Municipality-3, around 45 Mushar-Majhi families live in fragile thatched huts. While their lives are already challenging, the monsoons bring floods, and winters bring bitter cold, pushing them further into hardship.
New Mothers Struggling to Survive
Jonita Majhi, a mother of a 10-day-old infant, is struggling to cope with the cold. In her overcrowded hut, barely large enough for four people, she has laid straw on the floor to make a sleeping area for herself and her baby. “The cold seeps in from the floor, and dew drips from the roof,” Jonita said. “The chill that pierces through the bamboo walls is unbearable.”
Daily wage earners in the settlement, including Jonita’s family, have been unable to go out for work, making it difficult to secure even two meals a day, said her mother-in-law, Jitani Devi Majhi.
Punita Majhi, 21, who gave birth to her third child in November, described how the cold wave has intensified her struggles. “My baby cries all night due to the cold, and I’ve fallen sick multiple times,” she said.
Punita’s husband and father-in-law are working as laborers in Punjab, India. “My husband promised to send money for better food and warm clothes once he earns enough,” she said. For now, she relies on a small firepit to keep herself and her children warm at night.
In another part of the settlement, 20-year-old Bina Majhi clutches her one-month-old son to her chest to keep him warm. “If I put him on the floor, the cold makes him cry,” she said. Like many others, Bina struggles with hunger and hasn’t been able to produce enough milk for her baby. Her husband, who works as a sugarcane laborer in Punjab, is expected to return after the season ends.
Other new mothers and infants in the settlement face similar challenges. With no warm clothing or sufficient food, survival has become a daily battle. Many men from the community have migrated to Punjab for agricultural work, leaving women, children, and the elderly to fend for themselves.
“The families here rely on makeshift fires to combat the cold,” said local resident Manwa Devi Majhi. “Last year, we survived on warm clothes donated by organizations, but this year, we have received no help. When it gets too cold, I stay awake by the fire all night.”
Ward Member Sita Devi Majhi emphasized that the settlement has always faced severe hardships. “Floods during monsoons and freezing cold in winters are permanent realities for these families,” she said, noting that daily labor is their sole source of livelihood.
While local organizations and the rural municipality provided relief in previous years, this year’s support has been delayed, said Rural Municipality Chair Ram Singhason Ray. He pledged to address the issue after assessing the situation but lamented political interference that often disrupts aid distribution.
(This file photo shows cyclists in Kailali’s Ghodaghodi Municipality heading toward their destination amidst thick fog. Photo: RSS)
Additional Challenges in Sudurpaschim
In Kanchanpur district of Sudurpaschim Province, the cold wave has also taken a toll on schoolchildren and the elderly, many of whom are now suffering from respiratory illnesses.
Mandhwoj Luhar, a resident of Banhara camp, described the challenges of surviving the cold. “Dew drops from the tarpaulin roof at night, and the lack of warm clothes makes this winter unbearable,” he said. Without assistance for the past two years, residents are forced to keep fires burning throughout the night.
Manoj Chaudhary, a tractor operator who transports riverbed materials from the Mahakali River, echoed similar concerns. “It’s too risky to work in the thick fog,” he said.
Farmers in Sudurpaschim have also reported crop damage caused by prolonged cold and fog, compounding their struggles.
Durga Datt Bhatt, Chief of Pipaladi Health Post, confirmed a sharp rise in patients seeking treatment for cold-related ailments.
As cold waves continue to grip the Tarai, poor and marginalized communities in the region urgently require immediate relief and sustainable long-term support.
RSS
