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Nepal’s Air Quality worst in the world ?
At the time of deadly COVID-19, Nepal is affected by another health issue associated with respiration from air pollution as never before, listing Kathmandu as one of the most polluted cities in the world. Although air pollution is one of Nepal’s chronic problems, its effect escalated to hazardous levels in recent days, forcing the government to even close school for a few days.
Understanding the Air Pollution
Air Pollution is the mixture of tiny hazardous chemicals, particulate matter, and biological materials that react with each other in the atmosphere. Apart from being a severe threat to the environment, pollution has further serious consequences on human health. The concentration of particulate matter (PM) is a key air quality indicator that measures the severity of fine particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 µm or commonly known as PM2.5, which has the reputation of travelling deeper into the cardiopulmonary system. The Air Quality Index (AQI), ranging from 0–500 represents the quality of air, which suggests more than 300 is severely polluted and extremely dangerous to human health. According to the International Association for Medical Assistance To Travellers (IAMAT), Nepal’s annual mean concentration of PM2.5 is 100 µg/m3, which is ten times more than the World Health Organization’s recommended level.
