Gyanraj Subedi, Director General of the Department of Environment, said that pollution has increased due to the prolonged lack of rain and wind, and urged people to avoid going out unnecessarily during times of air pollution and to use masks.
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Air pollution has increased rapidly in the Kathmandu Valley. As the weather has become cloudy in the last few days, air pollution has also started increasing.
Gyanraj Subedi, Director General of the Department of Environment, said that pollution has increased due to the lack of rain and wind for a long time and urged people not to go out unnecessarily and to use masks during times of air pollution. 'For some time, the weather in most parts of the country including the Valley has not been clear, there has been no sunshine and no rain. There is also no wind,' he said, 'As the weather clears, pollution will decrease, but it is necessary to take necessary precautions when air pollution increases.'
Sanjeev Adhikari, a meteorologist at the Department of Water and Meteorology, said that the weather will improve from today and the fog will disappear. The Department of Environment has stated that air pollution will also decrease only after the weather clears.
According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), the air quality index of the Kathmandu Valley has reached 174 as of 4 pm today. With this, Kathmandu has been listed as the second most polluted city in the world.
Environmentalist Bhushan Tuladhar said that timely preparations are necessary for pollution control and widespread public awareness is necessary. According to the AQI criteria, 0 to 50 is considered 'good', while 51 to 100 falls in the 'be alert' category. 101 to 150 is considered 'unhealthy', which can especially affect respiratory and heart patients. 151 to 200 is considered 'unhealthy for everyone', 201 to 300 is considered 'very unhealthy' and above 300 is considered 'extremely dangerous'.
