The Kathmandu Valley's bowl-shape topography makes things all the worse in winter due to the high levels of pollution
The Kathmandu Valley witnessed its coldest day of the year on Saturday, with the minimum temperature recorded at 5.4 degrees Celsius in the morning, which is expected to dip further in the days to come. Up in the mountains, Humla recorded its lowest temperature this year of -4.7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology predicting snowfall elsewhere as well in some high hills of Sudurpaschim, Karnali and Gandaki provinces in the next few days. While there is nothing unusual in seeing the mercury drop significantly across the country at this time of the year, people are advised to stay alert and stay warm and safe from the cold. With the wintry cold comes diseases, and with the coronavirus still active in the country, people are advised to take extra precautions to stay safe and healthy.
The Kathmandu Valley's bowl-shape topography makes things all the worse in winter due to the high levels of pollution, caused mostly by the high volumes of road traffic, which has become a permanent feature of the place throughout the year. When there is little or no wind, the high concentration of particulate matter mixes with the fog and tends to stagnate over the valley, unable to escape past the high hills surrounding it, forcing the trapped pollutants to settle down. As a result, people inhale he air heavily laden with pollutants, giving rise to cold-related ailments, such as the common cold, flu, pneumonia, asthma, winter diarrhoea and others. And it's the children and old people who are particularly vulnerable to catching these diseases. Health facilities across the country report an influx of such patients during the winter months, which could put heavy pressure on the limited number of beds and facilities there at a time when the new variant of the coronavirus has been detected in India and Nepal as well and is spreading in the community.
It's not just the Kathmandu Valley or the hills and mountains that see sharp temperatures drops, causing undue hardships to the people. Every year the Tarai belt sees a cold wave that lasts anywhere from a week to a month, which not only throws life out of gear but also kills as many as a dozen people in the plains. Planes are unable to fly and there are fears of road accidents due to poor visibility caused by the cold wave, which is actually a stagnant blanket of thick smog, a mixture of smoke and fog. While there is nothing one can do about the cold, which is a natural phenomenon, we can, however, prevent loss of lives or make life easier for the people. It's good to learn that some organisations have started a campaign to collect clothes and blankets and distribute them to needy people. People are advised to be extra cautious while using a cooking stove or a kerosene or gas heater in a poorly-ventilated room to beat the cold nights. Apart from suffocation due to inhaling of carbon-monoxide, fires have broken out and killed people also. Should a cold wave start anytime soon in the Tarai, the local authorities should make arrangements to build an open-air fire every few yards so that people can keep themselves warm. As for the pollution in the valley, only an action plan will bring it under control.
NHRC laments
International Human Rights Day was marked the other day, as it has been done for the last six decades back, to commemorate the United Nations declaration on Human Rights on December 10, 1948, even as incidents of human rights violations continue to surge the world over. Submitting its annual report (2020-21) to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has lamented the lack of cooperation from the government to uphold human rights in the country.
The NHRC also said there seemed to be lack of coordination and collaboration among the stakeholder agencies regarding the issues of protection and promotion of human rights. Various forms of discrimination are rife, and it is difficult to discern if the law does hold its sway in the country. The districts in particular have also seen an upsurge of human rights violations, which cannot be taken lightly. In fact, the political parties should work in unison to respect the human rights of every citizen.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 13, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
