Kathmandu’s air pollution hits fifth worst globally

KATHMANDU: The skies over Kathmandu Valley are currently cloudy, and air pollution levels have risen due to the lack of sufficient rainfall.

Meteorologist Binu Maharjan told that local winds and the western low-pressure system are preventing rainfall.

“While some regions have experienced snowfall and light rain, there hasn’t been enough precipitation to clear the air pollution. The weather is expected to remain this way for the next three days,” she said.

As of the latest report, Kathmandu ranks as the fifth most polluted city globally, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 163. According to the AQI chart, Hanoi (Vietnam) leads with an AQI of 210, followed by Beijing (China) at 184, Dhaka (Bangladesh) at 175, and New Delhi (India) at 170.

The Department of Environment has warned that air pollution is expected to persist until the month of Jeth (May-June). Key contributors to the pollution include emissions from industries, factories, motorcycles, construction sites, household activities, open waste burning, and dust from construction works.

Children, the elderly, individuals with respiratory conditions like asthma and heart diseases, as well as pregnant women, are at greater risk from the effects of air pollution.

Disaster Management Expert Dr. Dharmaraj Upreti explained the AQI scale: an AQI of 0-50 is considered good for health (green), 51-100 is moderate (yellow), 101-150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange), 151-200 is unhealthy (red), and 201-300 is very unhealthy. If the AQI exceeds 300, it is classified as hazardous, affecting everyone.

The Air Quality Management Action Plan-2076 BS for Kathmandu Valley states that an AQI above 300 will be treated as a disaster.