KATHMANDU, March 27: Seven cities across the country including five places in the Kathmandu Valley are experiencing unhealthy air quality.
According to the Department of Environment, Shankha Park in Kathmandu has the highest pollution level, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 172 as of 11:30 am on Thursday.
Air pollution level of the valley falls with rainfall but still...
Similarly, the AQI of Ratnapark is 160, Bhaktapur's stands at 154, and Lalitpur's Bhaisepati and Khumaltar have AQIs of 161 and 155, respectively.
Outside the valley, Ilam has the highest pollution level, with an AQI of 168 at the same time. Dhangadhi in Kailali is also unhealthy, with an AQI of 157. Apart from these, other cities have AQI levels 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.