Air quality of Kathmandu turns “Unhealthy” as mercury drops

Kathmandu [Nepal]: The overall air quality of Kathmandu has turned “unhealthy” with the onset of the winter season in the Himalayan nation which now has been engulfed in a haze.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Kathmandu on Thursday afternoon stood unhealthy as the thin layer of white haze shrouded the valley surrounded by hills. As per the Air Quality Index Visual Map. The AQI of Kathmandu Valley stood up to 157 cm cube.

A city of medieval palaces and temples, Kathmandu, Nepal lies in a bowl-shaped valley has the largest metropolitan city in Nepal, it serves as the centre for history, art, culture, education, health care and economy.

In recent years, air pollution in Nepal has become a serious environmental and public health risk, with pollution levels 4.9 times higher than recommended by the WHO.
Deteriorating air quality in Kathmandu is putting hundreds of thousands of Nepalese at risk of several health problems. In fact, the WHO has consistently found air pollution to be the leading risk factor for death and disability in Nepal.

The air quality of the city has been a major public health problem causing air pollution-related morbidity and mortality, placing an economic burden on the country due to loss of productivity and over-utilization of health system resources.

There has also been a lack of health impact assessment data to estimate the health and economic burden of air pollution as well as of the sectoral measures needed to tackle this environmental challenge.