Climate Change Program In Tea Growing Ilam, East Nepal

On Feb 9, NCCKMC organized on-the- spot climate program at Adarsh HS School at Ilam Bazaar, Nepal’s most popular tea growing hilly area in the east. The school, established in 1948, is Nepal’s first public high school and has enrollment of over 2000 students. Mr Dhan Raj Rai, the School Principal accepted without a second thought when Mr Bhojraj Adhikary the coordinator of the campaign proposed to organize the climate program at the school. Mr Rai said that for last two years Marygold flowers have not born seeds in Ilam, and wondered about the cause whether it was genetic faults or climatic impact. It will take time to understand the problem, but Ilam cannot wait to import the flowers from Silgurhi as they have high demand during Dashain and Tihar, Nepal’s main cultural activities that fall in the autumn.

Over 120 students of science stream attentively listened to what the NAST experts talked about climate change and its impacts. They also actively participated in the discussion, and enquired how such a serious issue of climate change has been coordinated at national level. They wanted to know the key players of the issue, especially those involved in developing tools of adaptation and mitigation.