According to disaster management expert Dr. Dharmaraj Upreti, 151 to 200 AQI is considered unhealthy for everyone, 201 to 300 AQI is considered very unhealthy, and above 300 is considered extremely dangerous.
What you should know
Air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley has reached unhealthy levels today. According to the 'Air Quality Index', which measures air quality, air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley has reached 175 AQI by midday.
Today, Kathmandu is listed as the seventh most polluted city in the world. At that time, the most polluted city in the world was Cairo in Egypt, where air pollution was measured at 273 AQI.
According to Gyanraj Subedi, Director General of the Department of Environment, air pollution has increased due to dry weather, lack of wind, operation of industries and factories, and rapid development and construction.
'Smoke and dust from industrial activities, cross-border pollution, and pollution from neighboring India have also had an impact,' he said. 'Unless it rains, there is a possibility of further increase in pollution.' Subedi informed that suggestions have been made to the concerned bodies to emphasize environment-friendly development.
According to disaster management expert Dr. Dharmaraj Upreti, 0 to 50 AQI is considered good (green signal), while 51 to 100 is considered to be a cause for concern (yellow signal). Similarly, 101 to 150 AQI is considered unhealthy, which affects respiratory and heart patients. 151 to 200 AQI is unhealthy for everyone, 201 to 300 AQI is very unhealthy, and AQI above 300 is considered extremely dangerous.
According to the Air Quality Management Action Plan for Kathmandu Valley, 2076, the Government of Nepal has made arrangements to consider an AQI exceeding 300 as a disaster.
The action plan mentions the measures to prevent garbage burning, increase the use of brooms and vacuums for street cleaning, and issue public notices to children, senior citizens, and the sick to take special precautions.
According to the National Environment Policy, 2076, there is a government strategy to prepare and implement national standards for the prevention of water, air, soil, sound, electromagnetic waves, radioactive radiation, and hazardous chemical pollution to reduce air pollution.
It has also been mentioned that quality measurement centers will be established in major cities, industrial areas, and places at risk of pollution to map air, water, and noise quality.
