KATHMANDU, Sept 15: A giant white teddy bear has travelled from Nepal to New York with a child campaigner to draw attention to the impact of air pollution on children and push world leaders attending the global goals summit to take action to protect children’s futures.

KATHMANDU, Sept 6: Around 42,100 people die of the diseases caused by air pollution every year in Nepal. The Health Effects Institute Annual report of Global Air 2022 underscores the global increase in non-communicable diseases due to the effects of air pollution.

As the monsoon season brings relief through rain, it is a time to confront a crisis that has cast a long, perilous shadow over the lives of Nepalis. The air that once invigorated us has transformed into a silent killer, endangering our very existence. The recently unveiled international report, 'Air Quality Life Index-2023,' paints a grim picture of the disastrous consequences of air pollution in Nepal.

WASHINGTON, Aug 29: Air pollution is more dangerous to the health of the average person on planet Earth than smoking or alcohol, with the threat worsening in its global epicenter South Asia even as China fast improves, a study showed Tuesday.

KATHMANDU, Aug 7: The fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) reading which measures the air quality of a particular place docked at 3.39 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) Monday morning between 4 and 5, the fairest air breathed in the country’s most-densely populated city.

KATHMANDU May 12: Air pollution in Nepal is starting to worsen again with the increased fire incidents and lack of rain. According to the latest data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Patan, Lalitpur is 176, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 163, Narayani 171 and Dhankuta 155.

COPENHAGEN, April 25: Air pollution still causes more than 1,200 premature deaths a year in under 18's across Europe and increases the risk of chronic disease later in life, the EU environmental agency said Monday.

KATHMANDU, April 23: Save the Children in Nepal introduced ‘Saathi’ the ‘Air Bear’ who will travel to different parts of the country over the next six months, to mark Earth Day.

KATHMANDU, April 22: The cooking of sekua has been banned on the streets of Kathmandu due to its smoke.

KATHMANDU, April 18: Air pollution across the country including the Kathmandu Valley has gone rampant in the past few days, and the condition is expected to remain for three more days.

KATHMANDU, April 17: Air pollution across the country including the Kathmandu Valley has gone rampant in the past few days, and the condition is expected to remain the same for at least three more days.

The recent news that Kathmandu tops the list of the most polluted cities in the world is a matter of great alarm for all Nepalese citizens. With an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 202, Kathmandu has surpassed New Delhi, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Bangkok and Dhaka in terms of pollution, making it the most toxic city in the world.

KATHMANDU, April 14: There has been an increase in the incidents of wildfire in different parts of the country. According to the data of the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, there are now wildfires at 92 different places across the country.

It is a matter of worry that nearly half the vehicles failed the pollution test in the valley which is said to be home to over five million people. Though there is a mandatory provision for vehicular pollution tests, the lack of the implementation of the same has invited a situation like this. This means the pollution regulating bodies need to be serious as well as stricter about enforcing the laws against air polluters.

Recently, a team of government officials including employees of the Department of Environment, Department of Transport Management and Metropolitan Traffic Police Division conducted an on-the-spot pollution test of vehicles at Babarmahal in the capital. According to the employees involved in the test, over two-thirds of the vehicles failed the pollution test which means they were running in conditions below the prescribed standards for air pollution in the country.

After high blood pressure, dietary risks, and smoking,air pollution is the fourth utmost risk factor for human health globally, and 6.5 million premature deaths are associated with it.

KATHMANDU, Dec 7: Experts have warned that the influence of westerly winds could lower the temperature in Nepal.

KATHMANDU, Dec 2: All schools in New Delhi will remain closed from Friday until further notice amid worsening levels of air pollution in India's national capital.

Nepal was ranked as the 12th most polluted country in the world in 2020 AD with regions of Narayani, Pokhara and Kathmandu being the most polluted with AQI values reaching a hazardous level.

NEW DELHI, Nov 18: Authorities closed schools indefinitely and shut down some coal-burning power plants Wednesday to reduce air pollution in India’s smog-shrouded capital and neighboring states, as the country weighs an unprecedented and more far-reaching step: a lockdown in New Delhi.

KATHMANDU, May 17: Vehicular emissions are one of the key contributors to Kathmandu’s air pollution. Thanks to the lockdown aimed at containing the raging COVID-19 Pandemic, the vehicular movement is almost non-existent for the past three weeks. Brick kilns, numbering around 100 in the Valley--another major source of air pollution, are not operational. Among others, vehicular emissions, emissions from brick kilns and other industries and burning of waste materials are considered responsible for Kathmandu’s toxic air.

KATHMANDU, April 23: Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city, is known not only for huge population density but also for hazardous levels of air pollution. Mainly due to its bowl-like structure and haphazard urbanization as well as industrial activities, the Kathmandu Valley usually reports severe air conditions, especially in the dry season.

KATHMANDU, April 8: Domestic flights at Tribhuvan International Airport have been affected for the past four days due to bad weather conditions, according to the airport office. However, international flights have been operating smoothly.

KATHMANDU, April 4: Schools and colleges across the country were shut down following off the charts pollution levels early last week. The education institutions are resuming classes from today.

According to Air Visual, an organization based in Switzerland that collects and processes air quality data, Kathmandu ranked seventh out of almost 100 cities in the world in terms of poor air quality and polluted cities on Thursday afternoon. Last week Kathmandu was on the top in the list.

KATHMANDU, April 1: Air pollution has been reduced to some extent due to the rainfall that occurred in the hilly areas of the country including the Kathmandu Valley on Wednesday evening.

Department of Hydrology and Meteorology urges all to take necessary precautions

The Department of Environment is planning to recommend the government to implement odd-even rule for vehicles, and close schools and colleges if the air pollution lasts for few  the next few days

KATHMANDU, March 28: The smog blanketing the Kathmandu Valley since Friday is to stay for some more days. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has said that the air pollution caused by wildfire in most of the districts, long drought and lack of strong wind are the reasons behind the smog.

POKHARA, March 27: As the air quality deteriorates across the nation, the lake city Pokhara, too, has been blanketed with a thick toxic haze.

KATHMANDU, March 27: As the air quality of the Kathmandu Valley deteriorates, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has directed people in the valley not to venture outdoors unless necessary.

NEW DELHI, Feb 19: Air pollution caused an estimated 54,000 premature deaths in the Indian capital New Delhi last year, a higher toll than in any other big global metropolis, according to a study released on Thursday.

KATHMANDU, Jan 7: Air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley could be worse than the coronavirus pandemic, experts have warned. Speaking at a discussion held in the capital on Wednesday, they said the situation could become devastating if the government does not act immediately to bring down the pollution levels in the valley.

KATHMANDU, Jan 5: Over the past few days , air quality has been sharply worsening in the Kathmandu Valley where lies the country’s federal capital.

The city has the world’s worst air quality, but the government is yet to take action Kathmandu Valley made a record of having worst air quality in the world, with AQI standing at above 400 μg/m3

CHENNAI/NEW DELHI, Nov 15: Hundreds of millions of people in north India woke up on Sunday to toxic air following Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, after many revellers defied bans on using firecrackers to celebrate.

KATHMANDU, Oct 21: The COVID-19 death rate and air pollution are found directly proportional to each other, which means higher the air pollution higher the death rate.

SHANGHAI, July 9: Air pollution has caused an estimated 49,000 deaths and $23 billion in economic losses in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai alone since Jan. 1, 2020, according to a “clean air counter” launched by environmental groups on Thursday.

Valley Pollution Index for February 25, 2020

Valley Pollution Index for February 24, 2020

Valley Pollution Index for February 19, 2020

Valley Pollution Index for February 17, 2020

Successful cooperation in such environmental issues would yield substantial environmental dividends with direct welfare impact for the entire region

Valley pollution levels for January 22, 2020.

KATHMANDU, Jan 10: With the air pollution levels in Kathmandu Valley skyrocketing during winter, it looks like the government is finally waking up to the menace. After two years of preparations, an Air Quality Management Action Plan for the Valley has now reached the Council of Ministers, which is likely to endorse it soon.

KATHMANDU, Nov 23: Kathmandu sees a sharp rise in air pollution levels during winter months. The city is enveloped in dust and smoke. The seven Air Quality Monitoring Stations, spread across the Valley, have already begun showing “unhealthy” Air Quality Index (AQI) readings, as evident in the data of the last seven days.

Admit it, the Delhi smog has had you thinking about the safety of the air we breathe. After all, isn’t Kathmandu just as bad, if not worse? We wake up to our furniture coated in dust (didn’t we wipe that table down just the day before?) and find ourselves covered in grime by the time we get back home. But apparently the quality of air in Kathmandu isn’t as bad as it is in the capital city of India. That, however, is no reason to celebrate.

Air pollution in the Indian capital city of New Delhi currently far exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threshold for 'hazardous', meaning that 'everyone may experience serious effects'

NEW DELHI, Nov 6: Schools in India’s capital New Delhi reopened on Wednesday after closing for two days due to a spike in air pollution that triggered a public health emergency and prompted protests by residents and environmental groups.

NEW DELHI, Nov 5: The air quality in the Indian capital, New Delhi, improved slightly on Tuesday as the wind picked up to blow away some of the pollution shrouding the city for days.