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The Weather Forecasting Division has predicted fair weather across the country today.

There is no impact of any noticeable weather system in Nepal at present.

However, it will be partly cloudy in the hilly regions of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces in the afternoon.

Few places in the mountainous belt of Koshi Province may have light rains and snowfall.

The weather remains 20-to-22-degree Centigrade maximum in the Kathmandu Valley. The minimum temperature recorded at 5:30 am was 9.4 degrees Centigrade today.

Irrespective of numerous projects and plans forwarded and put in place by government and NGO initiatives on health, sanitation and public awareness in Madhes Province, an appalling fact has been revealed that a local level alone has over 4,000 households without toilet facilities.

Lahan Municipality of Siraha district was found to have no toilets for 4,200 households. It was disclosed after a recent survey conducted by the municipality itself. 

Of 24,700 houses in the municipality, 17 percent were deprived of access to toilets, posing a serious threat to health and sanitation.

Municipality Mayor Mahesh Prasad Chaudhary shared this information by organizing a press conference on Tuesday.

Contradictorily, Lahan Municipality was declared an open defecation free zone in 2017. "It is worrying that such a huge number of households are running without basic needs. Time has come to change the situation by reaching every household," he said.

Dalit, landless, poor and disaster-prone settlements are continuing open defecation. The local level made the preliminary analyses that lack of fecal sludge management center clean water was perpetuating the problem. Even the toilets built earlier were left useless, unrepaired.

Proper places for setting up toilets would be identified for the landless people. Even the settlement of the landless squatters could be changed along with the sanitation facility, he added.

The municipality has further planned to mobilize people's representatives, social activists, community associations, schools and youth groups for three months to visit the houses and remind the people of the need for toilets.

"Toilet is not only for defecation but an indication of health and dignity," Mayor Chaudhary said, adding that the sanitation drive is successful only when it has people's participation.

Meanwhile, World Toilet Day is observed every year on November 19.

Across the globe, 3.4 billion people are still living without safely managed sanitation.

Nepal delivered a strong call for climate justice during the Ministerial segment of COP30, where Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Madan Prasad Pariyar addressed global leaders in Belém, Brazil.

Speaking on behalf of Nepal, Minister Pariyar said the country, despite contributing minimally to global emissions, is suffering disproportionately from climate impacts. He highlighted rapidly retreating glaciers, worsening water and food insecurity, and a series of climate-induced disasters this year alone that claimed more than 300 lives. “Our agriculture, the backbone of our economy, is reeling,” he said.

Pariyar reaffirmed Nepal’s commitment to ambitious climate action, noting that the country has submitted an action-oriented NDC3.0 and National Adaptation Plan, with a target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2045. He also underscored Nepal’s strong conservation record, with forest cover now exceeding 46 percent.

Calling climate finance to Nepal “negligible,” he urged developed nations to fulfill past commitments and deliver simplified, predictable, and grant-based support for vulnerable countries. He welcomed the launch of the Barbados Implementation Modality (BIM) and called for full operationalization of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD).

Nepal is now preparing to submit a funding proposal to the FRLD, which recently launched its first call for proposals under the BIM. The milestone marks the Fund’s transition to full operationalization, enabling its first interventions to address climate-related loss and damage in developing countries. An initial $250m has been allocated to support developing nations experiencing economic and non-economic loss and damage from both slow-onset and extreme climate-induced events.

The call for proposals, open for six months from Dec 15, outlines procedures, timelines, and criteria for countries seeking support. The FRLD currently holds $800m but only $250m is allocated as of now. And of $250m, $150m will be available for Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Each country may submit proposals ranging from $5m to $25m.

In a virtual press conference organized by Nepal’s COP30 delegation, Joint-secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) Maheshwar Dhakal said Nepal has already begun drafting its proposal and will submit it as soon as possible. Dhakal, who also serves as a board member of the FRLD, said the call would provide a clear picture of global needs for loss and damage financing.

Dhakal also noted that 20 government delegates are representing Nepal in COP30 negotiations. Despite having a small team, he said Nepal is participating with qualitative and a diplomatic approach.

During negotiations, Nepal, speaking on behalf of Bhutan and Nepal, delivered a joint intervention on the mountain and climate change agenda. The statement, which also supported the remarks delivered by Kyrgyzstan on behalf of the Mountain Group, was delivered by Joint-secretary Dhakal.

Nepal and Bhutan expressed appreciation for the convening of the SB60 Expert Dialogue on Mountains and Climate Change and the informal summary report prepared by the SBI and SBSTA Chairs. They recommended continuing such dialogues from 2026, facilitated biennially by two Party-appointed co-facilitators responsible for selecting topics and preparing summary reports for the COP.

They also proposed establishing a joint agenda item under the SBI and SBSTA titled “Mountains and Climate Change,” beginning at SBSTA/SBI 64, to address climate vulnerabilities, progress, challenges, and opportunities in mountain regions. They requested SBSTA and SBI to consider the findings from the dialogues and identify actionable next steps to strengthen international cooperation for mountain regions.

In addition, Nepal and Bhutan called on Parties and observers to submit views on strengthening mountain-related climate action—covering adaptation, early warning systems, data and monitoring, resilience-building, and international cooperation—by 30 March 2026. They requested the UNFCCC Secretariat to prepare a synthesis report based on these submissions for discussion at SBSTA/SBI 64.

Addressing the press conference, Minister Pariyar also said the mountain agenda is a “common goal” for Nepal and must be highlighted globally because it is critical not only for Nepal but also for countries like India and Bangladesh. He said the agenda goes beyond physical geography and is tied to communities, livelihoods, and the global benefits derived from mountain ecosystems.

Minister Pariyar also held a bilateral meeting with India’s Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav at the sidelines of COP30.

Pariyar further called for integrating a dedicated mountain agenda into UNFCCC processes, referencing the ‘Sagarmatha Call for Action’ adopted in Kathmandu earlier this year. Nepal, he said, will continue advocating for global recognition of mountain nations’ unique vulnerabilities. He also stressed the need for all countries—including emerging economies—to submit ambitious NDCs, honor treaty obligations, respect scientific evidence, and uphold the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on climate justice.

Nepal also intervened in negotiations to replace age- and gender-disaggregated data with age-, gender-, and disability-disaggregated data, aligning with the country’s Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) framework adopted in NDC3.0 and other national policies.

Earlier, Minister Pariyar attended a session hosted by the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, where he outlined Nepal’s plans to expand clean-energy use, including electric vehicles and electric ovens. He also participated in the Ministerial Meeting of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), thanking Malawi for its leadership as outgoing chair and pledging full cooperation with the incoming chair, Timor-Leste.

In another engagement, Pariyar joined a meeting of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), reaffirming Nepal’s commitment to biodiversity conservation. He also met Ibrahim Cheikh Diong, Executive Director of the Loss and Damage Fund, to explore opportunities for Nepal to access financing for national projects.

Nepal hosted a side event titled ‘Sagarmatha to Belém: Advancing Climate Action’ to review progress since the ‘Sagarmatha Call for Action’ and strengthen the mountain agenda within the UNFCCC. Pariyar is also scheduled to attend a ministerial session on the global impacts of cryosphere loss.

Minister Pariyar arrived in Belém on Nov 15 and is set to return to Nepal on Thursday.

Meanwhile, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell urged nations to accelerate negotiations and match the rapid pace of climate action already unfolding in the real economy. Describing COP30 as having reached its “mid-stride,” Stiell warned that the pace inside negotiation rooms remains too slow. “The spirit is there, but the speed is not,” he said, calling for an end to “performative diplomacy” and urging ministers to resolve the toughest issues without delay.

Stiell noted that countries have generated a “trillion-dollar charge” into clean energy and grid expansion in just the first seven days of COP30. Last year alone, he said, more than $2.2trn flowed into renewable energy, more than the GDP of over 180 countries. Despite this momentum, climate disasters continue to disrupt millions of lives and raise basic living costs globally. “We absolutely cannot afford tactical delays or stone-walling,” he said. “We must roll up our sleeves, come together, and get the job done.”

The government has prepared a separate draft of the National Action Plan-2083 to reduce possible risk from snowfall and cold wave in mountain and high-hilly areas as well as in the Tarai-Madhes region during winter.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) has given final touches to the draft after holding consultation and discussions with bodies concerned. 

Earlier, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal had directed the Authority to carry out activities for preparedness to reduce possible risk from snowfall and cold wave. 

NDRRMA Chief Executive Officer Dinesh Prasad Bhatt, said preparations are underway to pass the action plan from the executive committee chaired by the Home Minister and to implement it.

It has been estimated that 29 mountain and high-hilly districts might be affected from snowfall and 21 districts in Tarai from the cold wave.

Special strategy activities have been included in the action plan to adopt special precautions and reduce possible risk from snowfall and cold wave in these districts. The government is to issue the national action plan for the first time with an objective of lessening possible losses and impact on lives from snowfall and the cold wave.  

According to the NDRRMA, in general, there is the impact of heavy snowfall in mountain and high-hilly districts as well as of the cold wave in Tarai districts from mid-November to mid-March. 

Similarly, Jhapa, Sunsari, Morang, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta West), Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur would be most affected from cold wave.

It is estimated that the cold wave will have a general impact also in Udayapur, Makawanpur, Sindhuli and Surkhet.

According to the action plan, it is predicted that the mountainous and high hill districts of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces will be most affected by snowfall.

It is estimated that the upper reaches of Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Okhaldhunga, Solukhumbu, Panchthar, Tehrathum, and Bhojpur in Koshi Province will be more affected.

The action plan states that snowfall will affect Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhupalchok, Rasuwa and Dhading in Bagmati Province, and Gorkha, Manang, Mustang, Baglung and Kaski in Gandaki Provinces , and Rukum East in Lumbini Province.

Dolpa, Jumla, Mugu, Humla and Kalikot in Karnali province and Bajura, Bajhang, Darchula, Baitadi and Dadeldhura in Sudurpaschim province are highly likely to be more affected by snowfall.

Executive Chief Bhatt stated that the implementation of the program would help make life easier for the underprivileged people, senior citizens, children, people with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, new mothers, and persons with disabilities during the winter.

A plan has been prepared to minimize the potential impact of snowfall and cold waves on people's lives and to make advance arrangements for the necessary relief materials for response.

“Based on this same plan, all districts, provinces and local levels affected by snowfall will be able to prepare and implement action plans according to local conditions,” said Executive Chief Bhatt.

A strategy has been formulated to identify, by December 1, the areas and target groups that may be affected by snowfall, update the data, and determine the priorities of beneficiaries in accordance with the work plan.

The action plan includes the strategy for preparations for disaster response due to snowfall, measures to reduce damage based on forecasts, and making the forecasting and early warning mechanisms operational to ensure timely information reaches the concerned communities throughout the month of Mangsir.