KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Valley has witnessed a significant decrease in air pollution following recent rainfall. Just ten days ago, on May 2, the federal capital was ranked as the world’s most polluted city with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 162. However, today’s data shows a remarkable improvement, with Kathmandu now ranked at the 50th […]
KATHMANDU, Jan. 5: The air quality has degraded across the country including the Kathmandu Valley lately.
According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the lack of winter rainfall has led to the high level of air pollution in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Tulsipur in Dan
Vehicular emissions, wildfires, and cross-border pollution are some of the reasons for Kathmandu’s air pollution, causing the sky above the valley to remain misty since Monday.
The “World Air Quality Report, 2021” published by the European Air Quality Index AQI last week also showed Kathmandu as the sixth most polluted capital in the world in 2021.
Kathmandu’s geographical location, where large amounts of dust, vehicular fumes and other smoke sources can gather and stay within the city, can often accumulate over long periods due to lack of strong winds and rainfall, a process that can cause a hazardous level of pollution in the valley, said Indira Kandel, a senior meteorologist at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.
