January 17, Kathmandu.
Sagarmatha School, a prominent school from Biratnagar of eastern Terai, has extended its winter vacation by three days until Friday. The school had announced a five-day halt on its educational activities last Friday because of extremely cold weather.
“We have extended the winter break by three days until Friday, following a request from a large number of guardians and instructions from Biratnagar Metropolitan city. The school will resume from this coming Sunday,” a notice issued by the school reads.
Schools across the Terai region remain closed due to the potential harm of the cold wave on the health of children.
Poor visibility has repeatedly obstructed regular flights from Biratnagar to Kathmandu and back. Flights from other airports of Terai region, including Janakpur and Rajbiraj airports, have also been reportedly cancelled or aborted a number of times.
The excessive cold weather that the Terai region of Nepal experiences annually is known as ‘cold wave.’ The wave is characterized by fog, lack of sunlight, and cold breezes. Data from the Nepal Health Research Council shows that 376 people died whereas 80 people were injured because of cold waves between 2001 and 2010.
Children and elderly people are among the groups affected the most by cold waves. Pneumonia, diarrhoea, and respiratory issues are among the major ailments associated with the waves.
However, these cold waves are not a natural phenomenon. Multiple research reports have concluded that the rampant industrial activities in the northern part of India have contributed to such waves. A 2022 study published in Springer’s ‘Theoretical and Applied Climatology’ journal has established that the impact of the cold waves extends beyond the day-to-day lives and health of people to the agriculture and livestock sectors as well.