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[Free Report] Kathmandu air pollution hits record high

by ALOK DHAKAL | 06-01-2021 01:13 recommendations 0

Free report: January

Kathmandu air pollution hits record high

A dozens of reasons have combined to give Kathmandu valley, capital city of Nepal, the worst air quality among the cities in the world. This degradation in air quality have affected healthy people, people with respiratory complications and most importantly COVID- 19 patients. Vehicle emission, wildfires, industrial pollution and winter inversion are supposed to be the major causes of increased air pollution., 

Yesterday (Monday Night), the AQI (Air Quality Index) exceeded 500. This measurement was recorded by the US Embassy measuring station at Phora Durbar. It fell to 480 after 7:00 am on Tuesday. This situation of AQI is hazardous and the pollution is fifteen times higher than the WHO standard. Majority of two wheelers are experiencing burning sensation of eye. AQI might be new term for all of us. Let¡¯s see at the AQI score and what it denotes.  
AQI Range: Remarks
0 -50: Good
51- 100: Moderate
101 -150:  Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
201-300: Very Unhealthy
Greater than 301: Hazardous

For alarming situation of pollution in Kathmandu, Cabinet decision last year adopted Ministry of environment guidelines to declare emergency if AQI exceeded 300. This means government can ban open burning, closing down factories and apply odd- even system of vehicle on roads under Kathmandu Valley¡¯s Air Pollution Management Action Plan. But till now no emergency is declared from government side. Many environmentalists have argued that the government should declare a public health emergency in the same manner New Delhi had little over a year ago.. According to public health experts, as the Kathmandu valley is surrounded by hills, it may take a couple of days for the polluted air to get improved. So, the experts have advised to stay indoors due to ¡®unhealthy air¡¯

It has been found that air pollution affects immune system thus making an individual more susceptible towards respiratory infections. In Nepal, around 65% of all death in 2019 were due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) that is linked to air pollution. So, all people along with government must act together to lessen the effect of this. 
Hope that government takes the actions soon and collaborative action of citizens and various organisation will soon help to recover the air quality in the capital. 

Image Source: https://www.nepalitimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/A-NASA-Worldview-satellite-image-of-Nepal-on-3-January-showing-the-spread-of-smoke-from-wildlifes-in-Kaski-Lamjung-and-Dhading..jpg

 
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5 Comments

  • Asmita Gaire says :
    Greetings alok bhai
    I hope you are doing well
    Thank you so much for this report
    Keep writing
    Green cheers
    Regards
    Asmita Gaire
    Posted 13-02-2021 15:56

  • SJ Mentor says :
    Hello Alok!
    It's your SJ mentor.

    I hope you doing well.
    Thank you for writing a report on the air quality of Kathmandu.
    Currently, Korea is not free from fine dust which causes air pollution.
    So we used to wear masks to prevent fine dust inhalation before COVID-19.
    I don't know the correlation between the AQI index and the concentration of fine dust in Korea, but it's clear that it's a serious situation.
    Air pollution does not only occur in one country, but it travels with the air flow, so efforts should be made to prevent it through international research and cooperation.
    Hope things are fine with you.

    Best regards,
    SJ mentor.
    Posted 15-01-2021 07:15

  • Mun WooJooMentor says :
    Hello Alok,
    this is your mentor WooJoo.

    Warm greetings from South Korea.
    Thank you for sharing such a helpful report discussing current concenrs regarding the air pollution.
    I am sorry to say that the air pollution figures were recorded so high, and tremendously caused high death.
    Last year, due to pandemic, South Korea was able to see again clear and blue sky because we had all neighbor industries stopped.
    But now we are experiencing less clear sky and fine dust that are damaging our respiratory system
    I deeply hope that we reduce the gas emission, and introduce new technologies that can purify the air, such as building structures that automatically purify the incoming air.

    Keep sharing

    Regards,
    WooJoo
    Posted 10-01-2021 20:56

  • Shobha Pokhrel says :
    Hello alok dai

    Very infoemative report

    Keep sharing

    Warm regards ,
    Shobha
    Posted 06-01-2021 12:09

  • Dolma Diki Sherpa says :
    Hello Alok dai

    Thank you for your information.
    It is sad to hear this news. We hope government should act immediate steps to mitigate air pollution.

    Regards
    Dolma
    Posted 06-01-2021 11:49

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