I am really sorry for being late to post my November  thematic report. Its all because of my personal issues  but I promise not to repeat this again in further days . Being Kathmandu as the capital city ,it has been the most populated city of our country Nepal. Kathmandu is a Nepalese metropolis that is home to a diverse ethnic population and is dominated by Hinduism and Buddhism. It is Nepal's cultural and economic center, with significant contributions to the country's arts and history. Kathmandu is currently experiencing significant expansion and is one of the fastest developing cities in South Asia. As is the case with all rapid growth and development, pollution levels have risen, and to make matters worse, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the city in 2015, leveling many areas of the city that are still in ruins years later, which, aside from disrupting daily life, is a source of pollution in and of itself, due to large amounts of dust and finely ground particles being blown into the air from these sites.

As a yearly average for 2019, Kathmandu has a PM2.5 reading of 48 g/m3, putting it in the 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' category, which requires a PM2.5 reading of anywhere between 35.5 and 55.4 g/m3. This indicates that Kathmandu scored higher on this scale, indicating that the city suffers from high levels of pollution all year, with some months scoring significantly higher, such as January, when a reading of 102.7 g/m3 was recorded, an extremely high number that would have placed Kathmandu in the 'unhealthy' category (55.5 to 150.4 g/m3) at the time. As a result, pollution levels in Kathmandu are a source of concern for the city's residents and their health.

Causes of pollution in Kathmandu

1. Both human and geographical factors are considered as the responsible factors for the pollution . It is also bordered on both sides by China and India, two economic powerhouses with their own pollution concerns, with cities from both nations frequently ranking high among the world's most polluted cities.

2. The vast number of vehicles, many of which are old and run on ancient engines and diesel fuels, would be responsible for dumping high concentrations of fumes and poisonous pollutants into the atmosphere.

3. Other sources include open burning of organic materials and debris, as a lack of sufficient infrastructure causes problems with garbage collection and disposal, leading to many people lighting fire to their garbage. This would result in a lot of gases from the combustion of things like wood and plastic, all of which have a lot of severe health effects.

Reference

https://www.iqair.com/nepal/central-region/kathmandu