Kathmandu's Air Crisis: World's Most Polluted City

Kathmandu, ranked by Swiss firm IQAir as the world's most polluted city, reports alarming air quality levels with AQI at 279. The pollution spike, fueled by industrial emissions and vehicle pollutants, has led to increased respiratory issues. Air pollution in Nepal remains a pressing public health issue.

On Tuesday, a Swiss firm, IQAir, declared Kathmandu the most polluted city globally, citing an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 279, categorized as 'very unhealthy.' The city's deteriorating air quality has led to a rise in respiratory issues in major government hospitals.

IQAir's data revealed that PM2.5 levels hit 204.5 ug/m3, while PM10 reached 233.5 ug/m3, marking PM2.5 concentrations at 40.9 times above the World Health Organization's annual guideline values. This pollution surge has notably impacted patient intake at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, a major government facility.

Contributors to this pollution nightmare include industrial smoke, vehicle emissions, and waste burning. Alarmingly, Nepal's Ministry of Health reports that air pollution claims 42,000 lives annually. The lack of comprehensive health impact assessments further complicates the quantifying of air pollution's economic and health burdens on Nepal.

(With inputs from agencies.)