Kanchanpur District Education Office (DEO) on Monday announced a four-day closure of all schools in view of the scorching temperature.

After holding talks with the representatives of various teachers’ organisations, the DEO decided to close the schools for four days starting on Tuesday.

“The children are having difficulty focusing in their classes because the recent temperature has been unbearable. They are also having trouble going to school and returning home,” said District Education Officer Amar Prasad Bhatta. “The four days of school closure will be compensated from the annual vacation period.”

Bir Bahadur Chand, chairman of the Guardians’ Association, said the rise in temperature has mostly affected the children going to those schools whose classrooms are roofed with corrugated iron sheets.

“The children in lower classes have been greatly affected,” he said.

 According to Attariya field office of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the maximum temperature in western Tarai districts exceeded 40 degree Celsius in the last three days. The maximum temperature of Kanchanpur was recorded 41.5 degree Celsius on Saturday, the highest of this year so far The spell of heatwave has also inconvenienced the daily life in Kanchanpur. Market activities and public movement have noticeably slowed in the recent days. Most people are staying indoors to escape heat, but long hours of power outage means no fans or air-conditioners.

Heatwave conditions have also hit the central and western Tarai districts.