KATHMANDU, April 11: Air pollution levels in the Kathmandu Valley have dropped following a rainfall on Wednesday. The light rainfall and wind has improved the valley’s air quality.
Rain that began Wednesday afternoon continued through the night and into Thursday morning. The rain and wind cleared the dust and wildfire smoke that had built up, significantly reducing pollution.
According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), Kathmandu, which was the most polluted city in the world until Wednesday, dropped to the 15th spot by Thursday evening. The city's overall AQI was recorded at 94.
Kathmandu tops global air pollution chart again
Baghdad in Iraq ranked first, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia second, and Yangon in Myanmar third in terms of air pollution.
Prolonged drought and wildfires in forests around the valley had caused a sharp rise in pollution in Kathmandu.
However, the recent rainfall also helped extinguish the wildfires. Despite improvements in air quality in recent days, Kathmandu was still ranked the most polluted city in the world until Wednesday. A few days ago, the valley’s AQI had reached as high as 352.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an AQI below 35 is considered safe for human health. AQI levels up to 50 are considered normal, while 51 to 100 is a cautionary level (yellow alert).
AQI between 101 and 150 affects people with respiratory and heart conditions. Levels from 151 to 200 are unhealthy, 201 to 300 are very unhealthy, and 301 to 400 are dangerous. AQI from 401 to 450 is considered extremely hazardous.