Kathmandu, June 12 -- After students began fainting in classrooms due to intense heat, local governments in Tarai districts have started shutting down schools and colleges.

Metropolitan cities-Biratnagar and Bharatpur-and sub-metropolitan cities Janakpur and Nepalgunj have ordered all schools and colleges to suspend classes with immediate effect.

Some other local units in the Tarai have followed suit, citing growing health risks to students from the relentless heat.

Bharatpur Metropolitan City, which has ordered schools to stop classes until Friday, said classes may resume if rainfall occurs and temperatures decline. The metropolis has also asked parents not to let their children leave home in the afternoon or swim in the rivers and po...