Cold weather attacks western Nghe An

Mountainous people in Tuong Duong district protect their cattle from the cold. Photo: Huu Vi

Cold surrounds the highlands

According to records, in the communes of Na Ngoi, Muong Long, Tay Son, Huoi Tu... (Ky Son district), the temperature dropped rapidly. On January 9, it was at 20 degrees.^oC then dropped below 10 overnight^oC. The weather is especially cold at night and early morning. The temperature measured at Buoc Mu 1 village (Na Ngoi commune) at 7:00 a.m. on January 10 was 4⁰C. Muong Long commune is considered one of the coldest places in the Western Nghe An region. At 2:00 p.m. on the 10th, the temperature was measured at 6⁰Mr. Va No Vu - Chairman of Muong Long Commune People's Committee said: "Currently, there are no reports of frost appearing anywhere. The commune is monitoring the situation to have specific implementation measures."

Students of Binh Chuan commune, Con Cuong go to school in the cold. Photo: Ho Phuong

The low temperature has significantly affected the production and daily life of the people in the highlands. The fires are always burning in the houses of the Mong, Thai, and Khmu people and people are also afraid to go out in such weather conditions.

Mr. Xong Ba Re, residing in Buoc Mu 1 village (Na Ngoi commune - Ky Son) said: "A few days ago, people were still picking dong leaves to sell, but for the past two days, they have had to sit with the doors closed to keep warm in their houses. It's cold and muddy, no one wants to leave the kitchen. If they went to work, they would have earned a few hundred dong."

In Nam Can commune, on January 10, many households had to gather firewood and make fires to warm their buffaloes and cows. Mr. Ly Ba Va in Truong Son village, Nam Can commune said that this was a very worrying cold spell. Cows can still endure it, but buffaloes can easily die from the cold. His buffaloes that had been released in the forest since yesterday were all brought home, locked in a closed barn, and made fires to keep them warm day and night.

People in Ky Son district light fires to keep out the cold. Photo: Dao Tho

Faced with the current severe cold, authorities and people have prepared a response plan to minimize human and property damage like the cold spell 2 years ago. Mr. Nguyen Cong Hieu - Head of the Veterinary Department of Ky Son district said: "Since last week, we have sent a directive to the communes and established 4 teams to take charge of the area to have a specific plan to deal with this cold spell. For now, we recommend that people bring buffaloes and cows from fields and forests to gather in one place. To prevent the cold, people need to use tents to cover them carefully and light fires to warm their livestock." Similarly, the authorities of Tuong Duong and Que Phong districts have also sent timely directives to the people to have a plan to prevent severe cold.

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In Que Phong district, the district People's Committee has issued an official dispatch directing 13 communes to strengthen monitoring and cold protection for spring rice seedlings in 2018. Accordingly, the district People's Committee requested the People's Committees of communes, units and related sectors to assign officials to hamlets and villages to direct farmers in land preparation and spring rice seedlings preparation. Focus on instructing farmers to soak and sow rice seedlings properly, and not to sow rice seedlings on days when the temperature is below 16 degrees Celsius.⁰C, cover 100% of the plating area with plastic according to technical procedures.

Thousands of students are on holiday

Mr. Lo Kham Phu - Principal of Nam Can Secondary School for Ethnic Minorities said: Due to the cold weather, these days the school instructs students to wear warm clothes when coming to school, and does not require students to wear uniforms. In addition, the school provides hot and full meals to boarding students and repairs and covers the rooms to ensure they are warm enough to study. Currently, the unit is monitoring the weather situation, if it is cold below 7^oC will let students stay home from school to ensure their health.

The temperature at 7am in Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district was 4 degrees Celsius. Photo: Dao Tho.

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According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, pediatrician (Department of Pediatrics, Bach Mai Hospital), after each cold spell, the number of children hospitalized increases by 30-40% compared to normal days with common respiratory infections such as upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, and pneumonia. "It is not true that locking children in the house and "stuffing" them with lots of warm clothes will help them avoid illness."

Mr. Nguyen Hong Hoa - Head of the Department of Education and Training of Ky Son district said that on January 10 in Ky Son the temperature dropped below 5 degrees.^oDue to the high temperature, the Department has ordered primary and kindergarten schools in Nam Can, Nam Can, Muong Long, Na Ngoi, Ky Son, and Keng Du communes to close. The number of students who are off school during this period is 1,445. The school closure may be extended because there is a possibility of frost in many places.

The Department of Education and Training has also just issued a document requesting schools to closely monitor the weather situation. Kindergartens and primary schools will proactively let students stay home when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius.^oC. For secondary schools and affiliated units, students are allowed to stay home when the temperature drops below 7 degrees Celsius.^oC.

In the border commune of Tam Hop (Tuong Duong), fog has been covering the area since early morning. Many students went to school in the muddy rain with their coats covering their necks. “We haven’t heard the school announced a closure due to the cold, so we still went to school. It’s so cold that we can’t even sit in class and write,” said one student.

The weather is cold and likely to continue, so on the afternoon of January 10, the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district directed all levels, sectors and schools to proactively make plans to ensure the health and property of people and students in the area. "Schools proactively adjust school hours when the temperature is below 7^oC (for junior high school students), under 10^oC (for primary and preschool students) and ensure that students wear enough warm clothes when going to school" - the document stated.

Mountainous people in Nghe An sell goods in temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius. Photo: Ho Phuong

The reality of the western districts of Nghe An shows that due to difficult economic conditions, the terrain is mainly mountainous and belongs to a typical microclimate, the temperature is always lower than the plains, so in winter people have to face many risks. The most vulnerable groups are the elderly and children. Meanwhile, this cold rain may last until January 15.