AQI is a composite measurement of the concentration of particulate matter below 10 and 2.5 microns, carbon monoxide, sulphur and nitrogen dioxide and ground ozone. 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. - . Espaol. A man performs morning workout with smog covering Kathmandu, Copyright 2023 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. More than 65% of all deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) in 2019 were linked to air pollution in Nepal. But poor air quality from as far as New Delhi cannot penetrate deep into Nepal.. Under the US Clean Water Act, the EPA regulates wastewater discharge from meat and poultry plants into . All of these vehicles degrade the air quality by emitting huge quantities of smoke into the ambient environment. Basudev Paudel is in his late fifties and at his age, he believes that regular morning walks are important for keeping healthy. The Biden Administration will make $250 million in grants available to develop strategies to cut climate pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday. People must stay safe indoors and not come out except for emergencies, the health ministry said. Sunil Paudel, Basudevs son, stopped going on morning walks last year after learning that Kathmandus air quality was reaching unsafe levels. 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.. But it shall be helpful only if it is implemented. In this level of air quality, everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. Air Pollution in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley - The Borgen Project 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. News from Indian environment including wildlife like tiger, lion, elephants. editors@nepalitimes.com | www.nepalitimes.com | www.himalmedia.com | Tel: 01-5005602 Site By: Hiti Design, On Monday night, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in parts of Kathmandu crossed 500, according to measurements at the. And with reports of Indias north and its capital New Delhi struggling with extreme air pollution, Sunil wonders how much worse the air will get this winter. Or, download a free sample copy of a past issue of Resurgence & Ecologist. 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. Department of Information Registration No. This means Kathmandus pollution has been 15 times higher than the WHO standard. The gendered impacts of indoor air pollution in Nepal's - ICIMOD Hourly AQI data showed Simara's air quality as very hazardous at 8:00 am. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, has a population of around3.5 million. In Nepal and Kathmandu the annual premature death due to air pollution hit 37,399 and 9943 respectively, according to a Republica news report published on 23 November 2019. The government should really take a closer look at what their decision might lead the environment and the whole country to in the future. 1. Despite public awareness and relentless media coverage, Kathmandus air quality has worsened in the past two years. But public health specialists discount their efficacy and stress that the best solution is to reduce air pollution at sources. These are the key points that needs to be followed in order to bring a positive change in the environment. The rapid use of fossil fuels, increase in deforestation, unstable use of natural resources, overuse of pesticides and other chemicals, sewage and wastewater, nuclear waste, industrialization, urbanization, use of plastics and a lot more factors contribute to environmental pollution. 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. ? Ltd. Mhepi-16, Kathmandu, Nepal Company Reg. It remained at above 500 from 10PM till 5AM, falling to 480 at 7AM on Tuesday. Photo Courtesy: Department of Environment/Air Quality Montoring, A screenshot showing Air Quality Index (AQI) for various cities as measured at 9 am on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. There is now growing fear that the toxic air of India, which had 22 of the worlds most polluted cities in 2018, will reach Nepal and cause a similar health panic, especially as the country itself has been struggling to check its air pollution levels. 2022: Emergency mode for the environment - UNEP 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. 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. In addition, vehicles passing over broken or traveled roadrelease huge amounts of dust particles into the air, worsening air pollution further. 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). The average global citizen loses 2.2 years of life with today's levels of air pollution and, if nothing changes, that adds up to . The size of dust particles are larger compared to biomass burning or vehicular emissions. Anupamaas Nidhi Shahs off-screen glam looks, Top 10 T'wood actresses of the 80s and 90s, Shraddha Das rocks the thigh-high slit trend, Live: PM addresses post-budget webinar on Green Growth, Oscars to have Crisis Team after Will Smith slapgate, Adani's older brother plays key role at embattled dynasty, Terms of Use and Grievance Redressal Policy. The World Health Organisation ('WHO') has reported that PM2.5 levels of particulate matter in urban areas of Nepal . Air pollution is a silent killer and while it is difficult to quantify its heath impact, hospitalisation due to serious respiratory diseases has increased sharply in recent years, says chest specialist Raju Pangeni at HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu. 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. Kathmandu air pollution hits record high | Nepali Times Get access to nearly 50 years of journalism at the Ecologist Archive. 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]. Last modified on Fri 3 Mar 2023 20.17 EST. 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. Even before Covid-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had warned that poorair qualityin northern India and the Tarai was already thereducing average lifespanof tens of millions of people by 3.7 years. says that 100% of the population in India lives in areas where PM2.5 levels are higher than the WHO Air Quality Guideline. The US government held a meeting in Kathmandu this month of its embassy staff specialising in air pollution based in 30 Asian countries. The visibility in Kathmandu valley has degraded to a significant level. Spain. The air pollution emergency in Kathmandu puts the elderly, those with asthma and other respiratory ailments at high risk, and would be especially dangerous to those with Covid-19. We could barely see the birds flying around before but nowadays we can see the birds chirping and flying up in the sky due to decrease in air pollution. We are mainly responsible for the destructive changes in the environment. 25th Jan, 2023. The environment has been in a better condition. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The theme for World Environment Day (5 June) is #BeatAirPollution. Concerns over respiratory illnesses related to environmental toxins on 'A waste of time and money': Why are EIAs so ineffective in Nepal? The effect of dust is not limited to human beings, but is also felt by plants, particularly to those closer to the road. One of those rivers is the Melamchi, about 25 . Officials at Nepals only international airport in Kathmandu said poor visibility, which was down to 1,000 metres on Monday, widely disrupted flights. As AQ AirVisual data shows, PM2.5 levels in Kathmandu saw a continuous rise last yearfrom 65.6 g/m3 in November, followed by 91.9 g/m3 in December, 92.5g/m3 in January and peaking at 96.3 g/m3 in February. Copper multifaceted interferences during swine wastewater treatment in high rate algal ponds: Alterations on nutrient removal, biomass composition and resource recovery. Pollution means decline of the original qualities of the elements of the environment like air, water, land, etc. An article by three Brazilian researchers published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research aims to contribute to progress in this field by proposing a novel perspective on particle . 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. Because Nepals national government and municipalities have done little to reduce risk, citizens have adopted their own methods of personal protection: wearing masks, installing air purifiers at home and office, cancelling morning walks, and monitoring air pollution levels on apps before allowing children to play outside. I know..mom's got a lock on literally everythin so y we gotta wait..! Krishna Kumar, a local business person at Kirtipur explained:Manybusinesseshavegone down due to high amount of road dust. I dont remember this level of pollution in Kathmandu in the past, Khadka told Reuters. Kakhara Madhyam Pvt. 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. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service, : Nepal has ordered schools to close for four days after. Legal provisions should be made in order for people to manage solid wastes properly. Similarly, one-fifth of the total diesel is used in Kathmandu. Haze engulfs Kathmandu valley as the air pollution increases to unhealthy levels, on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. When will women lead big political parties? The victims of air pollution urgently require an appropriate action plan . The major effect of air pollution can be mainly observed in the cities such as Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Nepalgunj, and Lumbini. A mask at best is a temporary solution and does not block harmful gases. In Nepal, COPD is the second major cause of death after Ischemic Heart Diseases. Nepal wildfires cause hazardous smog as pollution levels hit record Nepal is not far behind with 98% of its people living in such areas. The derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals upended a region of Ohio where generations of families could afford to buy acres of land, raise livestock and plant gardens. Reuters. Three members of the Paudel family followed suit, but they never gave much thought to the quality of the air they were breathing in. Thepolluter pays' principlewas introduced in1972 in order to address this issue. Find out about our mission, and our team, here. If there is any health advisory from the government, our family will stop going on regular morning walks, said Sunil. 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. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Of six environmental problems facing the U.S., Americans remain most worried about those that affect water quality. It urges the polluters to pay for the damage done to the natural environment. In terms of air pollution, the 2016 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranked Nepal 177th out of 180 countries. New road Kathmandu. The Art of Dealing with Breaking Up: Get over those blues and Take Break-Ups Lightly. Ever since the lockdown started in Nepal, there has been a . Philippines Scrambles to Contain Oil Spill and Locate Sunken Fuel Tanker 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. Air pollution is more dangerous than smoking | Nepali Times The effect of dust is not limited to human beings, but is also felt byplants, particularly to those closer to the road. Sonia Awale May 31, 2019. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause many of the health conditions associated with increased vulnerability to Covid-19, such as diabetes and chronic heart and lung diseases, said the. The measurement between 201 and 300 is said to be very unhealthy (purple) and states 'health warnings of emergency conditions'. and a White House pledge to lend more support were met with skepticism in the community. Research on microplastic concentration in aquatic environment is attracting scientists from developing countries, but in Nepal no information regarding microplastic in freshwater system is available. PDF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN NEPAL.doc - t-kougei.ac.jp , Change the direct speech to indirect speech; She said, "I am going to London today". I would be very thankful to you if you publish my article on your esteemed daily.Hope the government will take immediate action on this matter. 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. I dont remember this level of pollution in Kathmandu in the past, Khadka told Reuters. 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. Required fields are marked *. We human beings have been using the natural resources profusely. 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. This is also indicated in maroon. Environmental Issues and pollution in Nepal - Earth's Edge Top economies responsible for 2 million air pollution deaths worldwide Ocean pollution poses a clear and present danger to human health and well-being, according to a new study from an international group of researchers. We chartered a train to Glasgow for COP26 and took 500 people with us. Take your pick, but remember the best thing is to reduce the source of pollution. This year, I have already started feeling different. There are cloth masks and surgical ones, some are disposable but many use replaceable filters. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The number of vehicles in the valley during the last two decades has increased ninefold, and reached 922,900 in total during 2015, according to the Department of Transport Management in Nepal. In Nepal, a Cabinet decision last year adopted the Department of Environments guidelines for air pollution to declare a health emergency if AQI exceeded 300 meaning the government can ban open burning, close factories, and take measures to reduce vehicles on the roads. 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 Kathmandu Post : Find the latest breaking news from Nepal, opinion & analysis on Nepali politics, business, culture & arts, sports, movies, food & travel, books, education, auto & more at kathmandupost.com The governments standard level is 40 micrograms per cubic metre. Due to the industrial revolution from the late 20th century the environment has been polluted to such an extent that now it has become a global issue. Plastic waste is a growing menace, and a wasted opportunity