Increasing Cold Disrupts Life in Tarai-Madhes

The Tarai-Madhes region, including Mahottari, is experiencing a plunge in temperature due to the cold wave and persistent dense fog. The falling temperatures since last week have disrupted daily life in the region.

Farmers are unable to work in their fields, affecting crucial agricultural activities. "We need to prepare the fields for wheat sowing and harvest sugarcane, but the extreme cold has confined us indoors during this critical time," said Thakai Mahato of Bardibas-13.

The delay in farming and sugarcane harvesting has left farmers anxious. They fear the cold will prevent them from completing their work on time, jeopardizing their winter crop cycle.

According to Rahiman Mandal, a 75-year-old farmer from Jaleshwar-5, fog typically starts in the third week of December, but in recent years, it has been appearing earlier, from the beginning of December.

The cold is also impacting livestock. Farmers cannot take their cattle out for grazing, and illnesses among animals have been rising. Hira Devi Dahal of Ramnagar, Bhangaha-4, noted that the dropping temperatures are making cattle sick.

Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and new mothers are particularly vulnerable, according to Dr. Sudip Thakur, Medical Superintendent at Bardibas Hospital.

Social organizations have called on local governments to provide relief, including warm clothing, food supplies, firewood, and bonfires to assist the most affected, especially those in slums and Dalit settlements.

Suman Kumar Lal Karna, head of the District Coordination Committee in Mahottari, has urged all 15 local levels and the District Disaster Relief Committee to remain vigilant and prepare to prevent casualties from the cold.

The cold has intensified across several districts in the eastern Tarai, with foggy mornings and weak sunshine during the day signaling the onset of the cold wave.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology predicts a further drop in temperatures in the coming days, exacerbating the cold. Foggy conditions have already spread across the central, midwestern, and eastern Tarai-Madhes districts, the division reported. -- RSS

The delay in farming and sugarcane harvesting has left farmers anxious. They fear the cold will prevent them from completing their work on time, jeopardizing their winter crop cycle.

Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and new mothers are particularly vulnerable, according to Dr. Sudip Thakur, Medical Superintendent at Bardibas Hospital.

The cold has intensified across several districts in the eastern Tarai, with foggy mornings and weak sunshine during the day signaling the onset of the cold wave.