´Rapid urban assessment for air quality in Nepal´, published by ICIMOD last week, stresses on the need of a thorough study on the subject citing increasing cases of the valley residents suffering from irritation and difficulty in breathing followed by chronic effects such as emphysema, bronchitis, cough, asthma and skin problems. [break]
Referring to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), which states that more than half a million premature deaths every year in urban areas of Asia are linked with degrading air quality, the report says that air pollution has emerged as one of the biggest threats to Kathmandu residents as there is an extremely high level of particulate matter in the air.
The air pollution has been attributed mainly to the unchecked rise in the number of low standard vehicles. “The Kathmandu Valley, Nepal´s major urban center, now has air pollution that is comparable to that of other industrialized cities in Asia such as Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi and Shanghai,” the report says.
The report calls for widespread and effective monitoring of air quality. Though air quality management programs have been in place for decades in developed countries, it was only in the 1990s that the ministry of population and environment started to investigate air quality in the country.
Related story
The bell will ring loud and clear: Rabi Lamichhane
-1200x560-1779450784.webp)
