Air pollution has increased in Kathmandu, which has been covered by snow for the past few days. Kathmandu's air quality index (AQI) measured at 8 pm on Tuesday night reached 235 i.e. 'very unhealthy' level.

According to IQAir, a website of Switzerland that measures the world's air quality, the air quality of Kathmandu reached the 'dangerous level' i.e. AQI 300 from 10:45 to 11:45 on Tuesday. Along with Kathmandu, Myanmar's Yangon and Bangladesh's Dhaka are on the list of the most polluted cities. Yangon's AQI rose to 164 and Dhaka's to 156. In Mumbai, India, the AQI reached 150 on Tuesday. 

Environmentalists have said that pollution has increased in Kathmandu due to smoke, dust and gas in the air. According to Narayan Babu Dhital, associate professor and air pollution expert of Tribhuvan University, air pollution has spread with the increase in fire incidents in Nepal and South Asia. We can see fire incidents in many places in Nepal, India and Pakistan. But this is not new," he said. "Every year at this time forest fires and fires reach high levels. As a result, pollution has increased not only in Kathmandu but also in the South Asian region.' 

Environmental expert Bhupendra Das says that air pollution reaches high levels in Nepal especially in winter (from the second week of November to the second week of December) and dry season (from the third week of February to the third week of April). The geographical position of Kathmandu is bowl-shaped. During the cold season, there is a layer of dust particles and the air above it presses the pollution down, he said.

He says that pollution is also increasing due to brick kilns. There are about 90 to 100 brick kilns in Kathmandu Valley. At this time, usually 80-90 brick kilns are running,” he said, “now they make bricks and store them. The brick kiln is closed after a few months. According to Das, the current air quality is the most unhealthy after 2077. At that time, the school was closed due to high air pollution. "Four years later, this is the situation now. The reason for increasing the pollution is the high consumption of fuel from factories and vehicles," he said. 

The Department of Environment has been issuing notices to take precautions saying that air pollution is high in Nepal especially from November to May. According to the department, air quality ranges from 101-150 as unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151-200 as unhealthy and 201-300 as very unhealthy and above 301 as hazardous level. At this time, the department has requested to be aware that children, elderly, heart and respiratory patients and pregnant women will be affected. It has also requested not to increase air pollution. 

Dr. Videsh Bisht, medical director of Civil Hospital and chest specialist, says that breathing in contaminated air causes long-term lung-related diseases. Air pollution can affect many organs. It especially directly affects the lungs. He said, "Small particles cannot be picked even by the nose. It sometimes passes through the lungs into the bloodstream. It doesn't seem to have an effect right now. After years, it will cause asthma and lung cancer.