This year, I have already started feeling different. It remained at above 500 from 10PM till 5AM, falling to 480 at 7AM on Tuesday. AQI levels in north India and Nepal on 5 January at 8AM showing Kathmandu's much higher pollution levels compared to New Delhi. Last modified on Fri 3 Mar 2023 20.17 EST. Kathmandu has dangerous levels of air and water pollution, making certain regions of the city nearly unlivable. put Kathmandus pollution level at 487 the highest among cities in the region. Or, download a free sample copy of a past issue of Resurgence & Ecologist. Other global AQI measurement sites likeIQAirput Kathmandus pollution level at 487 the highest among cities in the region. The government should ban the use of old vehicles. With New Delhi and parts of northern India suffering under hazardous pollution levels, Nepal needs to take heed and prepare accordingly, environmental activists say. It remained at above 500 from 10PM till 5AM, falling to 480 at 7AM on Tuesday. The smoke generated from the wildfires worsened the pollution, according to an officer at the Division. Hemraj Bhattarai is agraduate student from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, and is currently working on air pollution issuesat Kathmandu Center for Research and Education, Nepal. EIAs must be submitted to Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) for approval, whereas IEEs can be approved by other relevant ministries. This level is considered hazardous, and can lead to serious aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly, [along with] serious risk of respiratory effects in general population, according to the United States Environment Protection Agency. The recent Environmental Performance Index 2016 has suggested increase in overall PM 2.5 in Nepal over the last decade. At this level of air quality, it is better that active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, avoid prolonged outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit prolonged outdoor exertion. Basudev Paudel is in his late fifties and at his age, he believes that regular morning walks are important for keeping healthy. We are mainly responsible for the destructive changes in the environment. ? In addition, vehicles passing over broken or traveled road release huge amounts of dust particles into the air, worsening air pollution further. and a White House pledge to lend more support were met with skepticism in the community. A general view of a street during a smoggy day as the government has orderedschoolsto close for four days after the air pollution climbed to hazardous levels, forcing millions of students to stay home across the country, in Kathmandu, Nepal March 30, 2021. Thenumberofvehiclesin the valley during the last two decades has increasedninefold,and reached 922,900 in total during 2015, according to the Department of Transport Management inNepal. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service, : Nepal has ordered schools to close for four days after. Rivers, ponds and lakes should not be polluted because it affects animals and plants lives too. . Modern day Nepal is one of the most polluted and impoverished places in the world. At a time when Kathmandu's AQI was hitting record highs on Tuesday morning with 438, the New Delhi suburb of Noida recorded less than 151 ( AQI World map, below). Our environment determines our health and civilization. People must stay safe indoors and not come out except for emergencies, the health ministry said. Health alert must be imposed on everyone as everybody is prone to experience more serious health effects. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Human error eyed as cause of Yeti Airlines crash that killed 72 people, 2 Americans, 2 permanent US residents among 72 dead in Nepal plane crash, Father of flight attendant urged her not to work before Nepal crash left 70 dead, Nepal to send data recorder from crash to France. The US Environmental Protection Agency gave the all clear for residents to return home shortly after the February 3 derailment and controlled burn that followed. By Leah Douglas. climbed to hazardous levels, forcing millions of students to stay home across the country. Ever since the lockdown started in Nepal, there has been a . Publisher: Kunda Dixit, Himalmedia Pvt Ltd | Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur | GPO Box 7251 Kathmandu Rapid and haphazard urbanisation in the last few decades has resulted in the degradation of the environment, predominantly in terms of air pollution. The 3rd leading cause of death in low and middle-income countries is COPD, 5th leading cause is Lower Respiratory Infections and seventh is Diarrheal diseases. In countries such as China, India and Nepal, air quality may have slightly improved in recent years, but the health risks due to PM2.5 haven't changed much, he said. The country of 30 million people lies in the Himalayas between China and India, two of the worlds biggest polluters. Strong laws related to environment should be made and implemented. To receive the magazine, become a member now. It is now causing heart attacks, kidney diseases, osteoporosis and dementia. Double whammy: air pollution and Covid-19, Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA n the past eight months of this, ir quality across Nepal has been deteriorating over the years., The first step in reducing air pollution is to let. As we see the readings from air quality metres located in various stations of the country, we find that Simara has the poorest air quality. The leaves of plants are covered in dust particles which limits the photosynthesis rate and affects the plants growth and natural beauty. At a time when Kathmandus, AQI was hitting record highs on Tuesday morning, with 438, the New Delhi suburb of Noida recorded less than 151 (. New Delhi has seen a sudden spike whereas Kathmandu witnesses a gradual increase in pollution level starting from November and reaching peak levels in January.. China will be the host nation and will showcase its dramatic progress in cutting pollution. Krishna Kumar, a local business person at Kirtipur explained:Manybusinesseshavegone down due to high amount of road dust. While asked about the poorest air quality index of the capital city, Shankar Prasad Poudel, information officer for the Department of Environment, said that three major factors have affected the air quality of the Valley. Plastic overconsumption and mismanagement of plastic waste is a growing menace, causing landfills to overflow, choking rivers, and threatening marine ecosystems. Q One of the cheapest energy sources. The traffic on the most part seemed to move along without any fuss. But this winter, the haze barely let us see through it. Efforts for improving air quality should be of utmost priority now so that safety of citizens' health can be ensured. Mass media have been a critical avenue to reach, communicate, and influence people on the alarming intensity and frequency of environmental problems [1, 2, 3].The world is facing a multitude of environmental problems, ranging from biodiversity loss, environmental pollution, spread of the vector-borne diseases and climate change at varying spatial and temporal scales [4]. Motorcycles and passenger vehicles such as jeeps, cars and vans accounted for 92 percent of total registered vehicles in Bagmati by the end of 2014-15. I know..mom's got a lock on literally everythin so y we gotta wait..! The major reason for high ambient air pollution in Nepal is largely from traffic related with old . The Geyh-Bouwer Trainee Practice Award recognizes students whose application of science demonstrates the betterment of the environment and/or public health. Chandan Kumar Mandal is the environment and migration reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering labour migration and governance, as well as climate change, natural disasters, and wildlife. It urges the polluters to pay for the damage done to the natural environment. Looking at the air quality data over the last few years, it appears that Nepal made amarked improvement from 2018 to 2019, with a PM2.5 reading of 54.15 g/m beingrecorded as an average over 2018 as compared to 44.46 g/m in 2019. This is a grave threat to public health, the government should have declared an emergency and taken urgent measures to curb pollution, says environmental expert Bhushan Tuladhar. Education ministry spokesman Deepak Sharma said about eight million students have been affected by the closures. Some air pollution is not seen, but its pungent smell alerts you. That said, old diesel vehicles are contributing significantly to the poor air quality in the city. This indicates, around a quarter of the total deaths due to air pollution in Nepal are in Kathmandu. Similarly, the hotel business (khaja ghar) of Ram Karki has also slowed down majorly due to road dust emission. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . Thepolluter pays' principlewas introduced in1972 in order to address this issue. Smog has blanketed huge swaths of Nepal as air pollution in the Himalayan country soared to hazardous levels. Globally, air pollution results in around sevenmillion deaths annually. A road-widening spree, earthquake destruction and delays in fixing streets dug up to replace water mains has turned the Valley into a dust bowl. This is a very unpleasant decision. This can significantly affect the local environment and the health of people living nearby. "This also adds to the risk of COVID-19," said Sher Bahadur Pun, a doctor at a tropical and infectious disease hospital in the capital. Find out more. Nepal, with a population of 30 million people, is located in the Himalayas between China and India, two of the world's biggest polluters. The leaves of plants are covered indust particles which limits the photosynthesis rate and affects the plants growth and natural beauty. Environmental Health issues are a not major risk factors for the Global Burden of Diseases. I have started wearing a mask whenever Im outdoors.. The environment of the industrial areas should be properly managed by the industries and concerned agencies. It was interesting to note that despite the manic traffic and lack of infrastructure many city roads were dirt tracks, with no traffic lights evident. says that 100% of the population in India lives in areas where PM2.5 levels are higher than the WHO Air Quality Guideline. Furthermore, the life expectancy in the Kathmandu Valley is four years less than that of other Nepalese regions. This can significantly affect the local environment and the health of people living nearby. Nestled between China and India - two of the world's biggest polluters - Nepal often . Q : Only continent in the world without a desert is. In 2017, the Department of Environment had drafted an action plan to tackle the deteriorating quality of air in Kathmandu Valley. There are cloth masks and surgical ones, some are disposable but many use replaceable filters. Since the festival of Diwali ended last week, the air quality in New Delhi has drastically deteriorated, resulting in air pollution levels reaching nearly 10 times healthy limits. Air pollution is even more dangerous than previously thought, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned . Motorcycles and passenger vehicles such as jeeps, cars and vansaccountedfor 92 percentof total registered vehicles in Bagmatiby the end of 2014-15. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The company's plan to a second gas-fired power plant next to the existing one is being opposed by residents of the mainly minority and low-income communities around the plant who say an environmental justice law signed over two years ago by New Jersey Gov. Moreover, Kathmandu is ranked as one of the most polluted cities in Asia: according to the airvisual.com, Kathmandu is the seventh most polluted city. This indicates, around a quarter of the total deaths due to air pollution in Nepal are in Kathmandu. , Change the direct speech to indirect speech; She said, "I am going to London today". ? By Sophie Wodzak,Emily Cochrane and Lisa Friedman. Find out about our mission, and our team, here. Prices range from Rs10 to Rs10,500. Similarly, household air pollution (HAP) was over 18-folds higherduring our survey in 2007 than the WHO recommended guidelines . ONTARIO, Calif., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kickstarting the autonomous bus revolution in the US, the city of Houston is set to receive the first Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Buy America-compliant mid-size autonomous bus in the US. Department of Information Registration No. Air pollution is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes., Solution to pollution, Pallavi Pant and Anobha Gurung. News about Air Pollution, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. But so far, the government has done almost nothing to control air pollution.. Fri 3 Mar 2023 06.19 EST. In addition, vehicles passing over broken or traveled roadrelease huge amounts of dust particles into the air, worsening air pollution further. Every year, 35,000 people in Nepal die from illnesses related to air contaminants. The World Health Organisation (WHO)s guidelines state that AQI should be below 35, and the concentration of particles below 2.5 microns should be below 25 g/mover a 24 hour period. The Biden Administration will make $250 million in grants available to develop strategies to cut climate pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday. The World Health Organization (WHO) reportsfine particulate matter of up to 140 g m-3 - which is aroundtentimes higher than the WHO limit. This index is coloured red. Factors contributing to this level of pollution are local," said Shankar Prasad Paudel, information officer with the Department of Environment. Haze engulfs Kathmandu valley as the air pollution increases to unhealthy levels, on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. Why this advert is dangerous to people and nature and shows advertising needs new controls. "Every year, we witness a surge in air pollution during the winter season. According to Tuladhar, New Delhi was able to immediately swing into action because it had an action plan to deal with the crisis. These two are just representative examples of millions of people who are directly or indirectly affected by dust, a burning issue of the twenty first century. But there is a difference between the nature of air pollution in New Delhi and Kathmandu, said Tuladhar. Submissions Winter inversion, vehicular emission, wildfires, and cross-border industrial pollution have combined to give Kathmandu Valley the worst air quality among cities in the world this week, adding to the risk of respiratory complications for Covid-19 patients. For example, an EIA for a major highway would need . All living being birds, animals, insects, plants and even human beings are victims of pollution. The effect of dust is not limited to human beings, but is also felt byplants, particularly to those closer to the road. In Nepal, around 8,700 people, mainly women and children, die prematurely each year due to illnesses related to indoor air pollution from solid biomass fuel burning [8]. Dust from construction works, exhaust from old, poorly maintained vehicles and smoke from coal-burning brick kilns blend in a murky haze that hangs over the ancient city of four million people, raising the risk of cancer, stroke, asthma and high blood pressure, experts say. About three months later, at the present time, the pollution seems to have worsened. Kathmandu: Nepal has ordered schools to close for four days after air pollution climbed to hazardous levels, forcing millions of students to stay home across the country. Air pollution has been a major problem of 21st century for both developed and developing world. The entire population is more likely to be affected. The government, which has been engulfed in a crisis within the ruling party after Prime Minister K P Oli dissolved the Lower House and called for snap polls in April-May, seems to be too distracted to pay attention to the converging crises of Covid-19 and air pollution. Vehicular emissions or traffic related particulate matter has serious health effects such as increased respiratory disease, reduced lung function, asthma, cardiac arrhythmias, heart disease etc. 1 ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN NEPAL Prof. Dr. Meen B. Poudyal Chhetri a and Anil Shakyab a Disaster Preparedness Network, Kathmandu, Nepal b Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, Government of Nepal ABSTRACT Environmental degradation is a very big problem in Nepal which is causing human health Also, news . hit their highest in the capital since the government began keeping records in 2016, government official Shankar Paudel told Reuters. Kakhara Madhyam Pvt. The World Health Organisation ('WHO') has reported that PM2.5 levels of particulate matter in urban areas of Nepal . As the new year gets underway, the world continues to grapple with a number of familiar challenges - the continued COVID-19 pandemic, resurgent wildfires, enduring crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. The high mountains around the Kathmandu valley allows air pollution to accumulate in the city. Indeed, a long-term solution requires policy level intervention and coordination between all branches of government. Air quality in the capital has deteriorated recently but average pollution readings were not available. Since PM2.5 are so small, they are also likely to hang in the air for longer, increasing the chances that they will be inhaled. One of those rivers is the Melamchi, about 25 . No: 289512/78/079 VAT No: 610271654 Editor Ashok Silwal Email nepalnamcha@gmail.com, Copyright 2023, , All Rights Reserved | Designed with. Vehicular emissions or traffic related particulate matter has serious health effects such as increased respiratory disease, reduced lung function, asthma, cardiac arrhythmias, heart disease etc. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh recently concluded that surgical masks blocked 80% of particles sized 0.007 microns. PM2.5 levels of 403.72 g/m3 were recorded at 7pm on November 4 in Nepalgunj, the highest for the country in the past week. Publisher: Kunda Dixit, Himalmedia Pvt Ltd | Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur | GPO Box 7251 Kathmandu Green sticker = green light to pollute, Sonam Choekyi Lama. New road Kathmandu. Located between China and India, two of the worlds biggest polluters, the Himalayan nation is seeing the worst pollution levels since 2016. More than 65% of all deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) in 2019 were linked to air pollution in Nepal. Around 100 people die every day in Nepal because of air pollution. Advertisement The air in Kathmandu, already dubbed one of the most polluted cities in the world, gets worse once the winter sets in. Education ministry spokesman Deepak Sharma said about eight million students have been affected by the closures. The moves reflect residents deep-seated mistrust of government screenings of toxic chemicals and fears of long-term effects from the train derailment. Arjun Khadka, 65, who owns a grocery store in Kathmandu, said he experienced itching and burning sensations in the eyes and nose which could be due to pollution. The guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations, by reducing levels of key air pollutants, some of which . The victims of air pollution urgently require an appropriate action plan . Ltd. Mhepi-16, Kathmandu, Nepal Company Reg. Air pollution shortens lives more than any other external cause. According to AQ AirVisual, a Swiss group that collects air-quality data from around the world, the annual average PM2.5 level for Kathmandu in 2018 was 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3), an increase from 45.9 g/m3 in 2017. Yours sincerely, Rajesh. When a vehicle passes by, dust is released into the air and pollutes the clothes that are kept for selling and the customers do not like the polluted ones. Environmental pollution is one of the greatest threats of the world today. As women play a significant role in the management and use of energy sources for household cooking, they are disproportionately affected by indoor air pollution [7]. At the same hour, Bhaktapur's air quality degraded as low as 347 (according to The World Air Quality Project) while as per DoE's data it stood at 348. SAMPLE 2. The US government held a meeting in Kathmandu this month of its embassy staff specialising in air pollution based in 30 Asian countries. Nepal is not far behind with 98% of its people living in such areas. 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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Of six environmental problems facing the U.S., Americans remain most worried about those that affect water quality. When will women lead big political parties? FEATURED FUNDS. But public outrage does not seem to translate into action to clean up the air. Officials at Nepal's only international airport in Kathmandu said poor visibility, which was down to 1,000 metres on Monday, widely disrupted flights. Controlling tobacco in Nepal is already such a big challenge, butKathmandus degrading air quality has doubled the disease burden, says health activist Shanta Lall Mulmi. The government has also decided to sell the natural minerals like sand, rocks, mud etc to India. We should work for the betterment of the environment because the nature has provided a lot to us and we shouldnt be disgraceful towards it. Legal provisions should be made in order for people to manage solid wastes properly. But air pollution issues are continue to increase. Of course, a masks effectiveness depends on how well it fits on the face, but a simple, disposable surgical mask can be more cost-effective than those fancy looking expensive ones. This is a very great decision taken by the government. Kathmandu Valley has seen a rapid increase in vehicle numbers in the last 15 years. Southeast Asia has emerged as a hot spot for plastic pollution . We know what we're looking at when brown haze settles over a city, exhaust billows across a busy highway, or a plume rises from a smokestack. Even before Covid-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had warned that poor, in northern India and the Tarai was already the. There are dozens of varieties of masks available in the market, along with air purifiers that cost more than Rs130,000. At a time when KathmandusAQI was hitting record highs on Tuesday morningwith 438, the New Delhi suburb of Noida recorded less than 151 (AQI World map, below). El descarrilamiento en East Palestine, Ohio, se ha convertido en uno de los incidentes ms mediticos y ms politizados de su tipo en los ltimos aos. The COP27 sponsor's products were the most commonly found items by volunteers researching plastic pollution. We can develop our own action plan to combat air pollution and also introduce other measures like enforcing green stickers for vehicles, among many others.. However, two years later, the action plan has neither been finalised nor enforced. The website is owned and published by The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity. All of these vehicles degrade the air quality byemitting huge quantitiesof smoke into the ambient environment. Other global AQI measurement sites like. Submissions Barun Poudel, a senior meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division, says that the chances of pollution travelling as far north as Kathmandu from Indian cities are slim, but that Nepali cities bordering India have already seen some impacts. Over the weekend, pollution levels hit their highest in the capital since the government began keeping records in 2016, government official Shankar Paudel told Reuters news agency. . Collective action from many sectors is needed to assure that everyone can breathe clean air.. Most make various performance claims based on lab tests but factors like the masks fit play important roles. The country of 30 . With a staggering 42 percent of the population living below the poverty line and only 27 percent with improved access to sanitation, there are quite a number of issues facing Nepal. New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood.

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