The Ministry of Health and Population has requested everyone to exercise high vigilance due to the increase in air pollution in the valley. The Ministry issued a press release today and requested everyone to exercise caution as Nepal has been on the list of highly polluted countries for a few days according to the Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures the air quality of the world.
According to the AQI scale, zero to 50 is 'clean', 51 to 100 is 'normal', 11 to 150 is 'possible risk', 151 to 200 is 'unhealthy', 201 to 300 is considered 'extremely unhealthy' and above 300 is considered 'dangerous'. Currently, the level of air pollution in Kathmandu has reached 348 AQI and has reached the 'dangerous' category, according to the Ministry.
Ministry spokesperson Dr. Prakash Budhathoki suggested that children, elderly people, pregnant women and chronic patients who belong to the sensitive group should take special care as asthma, lung diseases, eye problems, nose and throat allergies, skin problems, heart diseases and long-term health problems may appear due to the current air pollution.
The Ministry of Health has requested the general public not to go out of the house except for essential work, to wear a mask when traveling and not to go to highly polluted areas.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has requested everyone to take initiatives from their respective areas to control air pollution, and to be especially vigilant about health. As the summer season progresses, the level of air pollution is increasing due to increasing forest fires, road construction, industrial activities, etc., the authority said.
Authority has stated that due to air pollution, health problems such as breathing problems, burning eyes, allergies, headaches may increase. In this context, along with the people, the agencies conducting industry, business, and construction work have been requested to take necessary precautions to reduce air pollution.
The Ministry of Health and the authority have requested the relevant agencies to reduce the use of public transport, proper waste management, to adopt measures to prevent dust in construction work and to control forest fires.
The authority has instructed the relevant agencies through the government to measure the air pollution and take immediate improvement measures. In addition, the Disaster Mitigation Authority has asked the public to take personal precautions, use masks and adopt health protection measures.
