Tony Burdon, deputy head of DFID Nepal, has recently announced 50 million pounds aid to help Nepal fight against the adverse impacts of environmental problems caused by climate change and deforestation. “We do not think it is sufficient but it is a start,” Burdon told at a press meeting in Kathmandu.

Out of the total amount, 40 million pounds will be spent on defense of forests by helping local people to use sparingly a living. Climate Change Officer at DFID Nepal, Simon Lucas said, “We would like to ensure participation of maximum local people in our reforestation program. DFID claims that in the past it has contributed towards reforestation in Nepal by at least 10 percent via various programs.

The remaining amount of the fund will be spent on helping local people to enhance their flexibility power to the impacts of climate change which consists of improving emergency warning systems, guarding endangered people from natural disasters and supporting community water schemes.

DFID’s aid about 172 million pounds to Nepal over the next three years which is already broadcasted comes as a part of the international initiative. In response to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s appeal earlier this year for an international financial scheme worth $100 billion to help developing countries to fight climate change, the European Union (EU) issued the amount with increase in the figure to $135 billion.

Dressed in full scuba gear, President Mohamed Nasheed conducted the meeting which was 30 minutes long and was at a depth of 20 feet off the coast just north of Male. Among the 14-member cabinet, only 11 ministers took part in the under see meeting, as one of them were currently in Europe while two of them were not well enough to attend the meeting.
A horseshoe-shaped table was arranged on the seabed for the ministers, and the c communication during the meeting was via white boards and hand signals.

The Divers Association of Maldives had trained the ministers from over past two months and it said the ministers, felt confident about the extraordinary convention.

The co-ordinator of the event was Aminath Shauna who said that the ministers have signed their wetsuits, which would be auctioned on the protectthemaldives.com website to accumulate fund for coral reef protection in the atoll-chain.
In 2007, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on climate change warned that a rise in sea levels of seven to 24 inches by 2100 would be enough to make the country nearly uninhabitable. Therefore, Maldives, located southwest of Sri Lanka, has become a vocal campaigner in the battle to stop the progress of rising sea levels.

The climate is varied ranging from the sub-tropical Terai to the cool dry temperate and alpine climate in the northern Himalayan ranges. In the Terai, the hottest part of the country, summer temperatures may rise as high as 40°C. The climate is hot and humid. In the midmountain region, the summer climate is mild with temperatures around 25°C – 27°C.

The winter temperatures range from 7°C to 23°C in the Terai and subzero to 12°C in the mountain regions and valleys. The northern Himalayan region has an alpine climate. The valley of Kathmandu has a pleasant equable climate with average summer and winter temperatures of 19°C – 27°C and 2°C – 12°C respectively.

Climate
Nepal’s climate varies with its topography and altitude. It ranges from the tropical to the arctic. The low-land Terai region with its maximum altitude to approximately 305m, which lies in the tropical southern part of the country, for instance, has a hot and humid climate that can rise above 45 Degree Celsius (113 Degree Fahrenheit) during summer. The mid-land regions are pleasant almost all the year round, although winter nights are cool. The northern mountain region, around an altitude above 3,300m has an alpine climate with considerably lower temperature in winter as can be expected.

Seasons
Nepal has four climatic seasons.

Spring (Between March – May): The temperature is mildly warm in low lands while moderate in higher altitudes with plenty of opportunities to have tryst with the mountain views. It is also the time for flowers to blossom and the national flower of Nepal – rhododendron sweeps the ascending altitudes with its magnanimous color and beauty.

Summer (Between June – August): This is also the monsoon season in Nepal. The weather is hot and wet at times. It rains almost everyday with occasional thunderstorms in the evening. The rain spreads the pleasantness around with lush green vegetation.

Autumn (Bteween September – November): This is the best tourist season in Nepal with the summer gone by and the winter to set in. The weather is highly pleasant so are the mountain views. This is the peak season for trekking as mountain views are guaranteed so better book your flight in advance. This is also the season of festivities as Nepal celebrates the biggest Hindu festivals Dashain followed by Tihar.

Winter (Between December – February): The weather is cool and the sky is clear with occasional snowfalls at higher elevations. This season is good for trekking in lower elevations. The morning and night is cold and the days are warm when sunny.

Temperature & Rainfall

Nepal is the country of extremes. The low-land plains of the Terai can have tropical temperatures and also the mosquitoes. The Himalayas can get to sub-zero temperatures, but the sun blaze can bring some warmth during the day, even in the mountains. The temperature of Kathmandu goes below 1 Degree Celsius (34 Degree Fahrenheit) in winter and rises to an average of 25 Degree Celsius (77 Degree Fahrenheit) in summer.

The average temperature in Kathmandu during the four seasons:

During the rainy monsoon season between June to August, it rains to an average between 200-375 millimeters in Kathmandu. There is occasional rainfall during the other seasons too. In an average, 1300 millimeters of rain falls in Kathmandu every year.

Travel Tips: Monsoon in Nepal is not the typical monsoon of Asia. Rains usually occur during the night-time leaving the sky clean and clear by the morning making the Himalayan view even more dramatic. Some parts of the Himalayas in Manang, Mustang and Dolpo are in rain-shadow areas; the mountains are high enough to block the clouds. Tibet’s high travel season also corresponds to Nepal’s monsoon.