The status of air quality in Nepal is very devastating. Nepalese people are literally inhaling smoke and dust. They are living in a very miserable condition of air quality. Nepal continues to rank among the worst four performers in protecting the human health and environment due to degrading air quality. Decline in air quality is leading cause of death in the world causing death of about 5.5 millions every year. According to  Environment Performance Index (EIP) Nepal ranks 177 among 180 countries in terms of air quality. India, China and Bangladesh are the only countries performing worse than Nepal and the worst condition is that though other three countries are doing some works for improving their air quality but still Nepal has failed to achieve major success in such field. The use of technology and proper legislation is lagging far behind in Nepal.

The index, a Yale University-based initiative, measures national and global protection of ecosystems and human health from environmental harm, draws out trends and highlights data gaps in priority areas including air quality, water management, and climate change. Under the air quality, one of the nine assessment areas to determine the overall EPI ranking, the exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, and percentage of the population burning solid fuel indoors were measured. The particulate matter (PM 2.5) is considered one of the most harmful air pollutants that lodge into human lungs and blood tissues, increasing the chances of lung cancer and other life-threatening respiratory diseases, among others.

Air pollution is rising as a major problem in Nepal and the effect is more severe in the capital city, Kathmandu where industrialization and urbanization is increasing more rapidly. Over the years, the government has made no significant effort to improve the air quality and mitigate the risks except for introducing policies and programmes but lacking implementation. We are still struggling in identifying the source of pollutants and the level of exposure. So it is of utmost importance that the government takes some major and immediate steps to solve this issues.