KATHMANDU, March 13: The air of seven cities across the country, including the Kathmandu Valley, have become unhealthy today. With the rise in pollutants, these seven cities have made it to the unhealthy list.
According to the Department of Environment, Khumaltar in Lalitpur became the most polluted area on Thursday morning. At 11 am on Thursday, the air quality index (AQI) of Khumaltar was recorded at 172, according to the Department's data.
At the same time, seven cities in the country are in the unhealthy category. The AQI in Shankhpark of Kathmandu was 170, and 163 in Ratnapark. In Lalitpur's Bhaisepati and Bhaktapur's Sallaghari, the AQI was 166 and 164 respectively.
Outside the valley, the AQI of Dhankuta reached 152, and Chitwan's Bharatpur reached 151. In other cities, the AQI remains below 150.
An AQI between 101 to 150 is considered unhealthy for children, elderly, and people with chronic diseases. When the AQI reaches between 151 and 200, it is unhealthy for everyone. Similarly, when the AQI ranges from 201 to 300, it becomes very unhealthy, and anything above that is considered hazardous, according to the WHO guidelines.