The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that in polluted urban areas, reducing air pollution could do as much as completely eliminating smoking would to lower rates of the 12 types of cancer most commonly associated with smoking, including lung cancer, stomach cancer, kidney cancer . The country of 30 . The haze has become a part of our environment, impeding our view and lowering our visibility. The study sounds the alarm that the growing global problem, which scientists are only beginning to understand, requires urgent and immediate action. Similarly, one-fifth of the total diesel is used inKathmandu. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause many of the health conditions associated with increased vulnerability to Covid-19, such as diabetes and chronic heart and lung diseases, said theState of Global Air 2020released last October. The first step in controlling air pollution is with electric public transport because vehicular emissions make up the majority of pollutants in Kathmandus air, says environmentalist Bhushan Tuladhar. In Nepal, a Cabinet decision last year adopted the Department of Environments guidelines for air pollution to declare a health emergency if AQI exceeded 300 meaning the government can ban open burning, close factories, and take measures to reduce vehicles on the roads. ? This indicates, around a quarterof the total deaths due to air pollution in Nepal are in Kathmandu. Whilstthis shows an improvement over the course of one year, when observing datataken from the capital city . Air pollution frequently causes osteoporosis, heart attacks, dementia and kidney diseases. As women play a significant role in the management and use of energy sources for household cooking, they are disproportionately affected by indoor air pollution [7]. In addition, residential and commercial-scale solar electricity expenses have dropped from $0.52 to $0.16 and $0.40 to $0.11 per kilowatt-hour, respectively. The World Air Quality Project's index stood at 515 at that time while that of the Department of Environment (DoE) stood at 490. Education ministry spokesman Deepak Sharma said about eight million students have been affected by the closures. D espite public awareness and relentless media coverage, Kathmandu's air quality has worsened in the past two years. . The strategy guiding the work for The Ecologist for the years 2023 to 2026 has now been published. However, the record-breaking pollution this winter will add to the risk of the coronavirus. 1. Of course, a masks effectiveness depends on how well it fits on the face, but a simple, disposable surgical mask can be more cost-effective than those fancy looking expensive ones. A Love Beyond Measure: The Unforgettable Reunion, , . and a White House pledge to lend more support were met with skepticism in the community. Nepal is not far behind with 98% of its people living in such areas. Air pollution is a chronic problem in the rapidly growing capital city of Kathmandu and an additional headache for the government that is struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The visibility in Kathmandu valley has degraded to a significant level. When will women lead big political parties? Atmospheric greenhouse gases reach record high, latest essay from our Megamorphosis series now. Non-smokers in Kathmandu are now suffering from diseases that you would expect to see afflicting chain smokers. The statement declared that the level of pollution in the valley is increasingly -- especially in the mornings and the evenings -- creating negative implications on people's health. Under the US Clean Water Act, the EPA regulates wastewater discharge from meat and poultry plants into . China will be the host nation and will showcase its dramatic progress in cutting pollution. But public outrage does not seem to translate into action to clean up the air. This is a grave threat to public health, the government should have declared an emergency and taken urgent measures to curb pollution, says environmental expert Bhushan Tuladhar. climbed to hazardous levels, forcing millions of students to stay home across the country. 18/11/2022. hit their highest in the capital since the government began keeping records in 2016, government official Shankar Paudel told Reuters. Double whammy: air pollution and Covid-19, Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA n the past eight months of this, ir quality across Nepal has been deteriorating over the years., The first step in reducing air pollution is to let. These two are just representative examples of millions of people who are directly or indirectly affected by dust, a burning issue of the twenty first century. Despite public awareness and relentless media coverage, Kathmandus air quality has worsened in the past two years. Air qualities in cities like Birgunj, Nepalgunj and Bhairahawa get worse due to local air pollution, supported by stagnation of air in this season where there is an inversion of temperature, a reversal of the normal behaviour of temperature in the troposphere, said Poudel, the meteorologist. It said that air pollution is dependent on weather system, and due to this fact, the pollution may last for some time or may worsen further with the passing of time. And even though the nature of pollution in New Delhi and Kathmandu is varied, Nepal needs to learn to deal with its own toxic air. The latest edition of Resurgence & Ecologist is out now, and available to buy. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause many of the health conditions associated with increased vulnerability to Covid-19, such as diabetes and chronic heart and lung diseases, said the. There will be complications in irrigation facility, deforestation will take place and landslides may occur, the water resources will get soaked. Air pollution is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes., Solution to pollution, Pallavi Pant and Anobha Gurung. New Delhi has seen a sudden spike whereas Kathmandu witnesses a gradual increase in pollution level starting from November and reaching peak levels in January.. Nepal is a landlocked nation with the current population of over 27 million people. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Of six environmental problems facing the U.S., Americans remain most worried about those that affect water quality. In addition, vehicles passing over broken or traveled road release huge amounts of dust particles into the air, worsening air pollution further. Rapid and haphazard urbanisation in the last few decades has resulted in the degradation of the environment, predominantly in terms of air pollution. Introduction. editors@nepalitimes.com | www.nepalitimes.com | www.himalmedia.com | Tel: 01-5005602 According to the 2017 Air Quality Management Action Plan for Kathmandu Valley, the transport sector contributes over 30 percent of total suspended particles (TSP), or 20,072 tonnes, into the air. In countries such as China, India and Nepal, air quality may have slightly improved in recent years, but the health risks due to PM2.5 haven't changed much, he said. Such particles will not reach Kathmandu because it is surrounded by hills. The index stood at 214 as per DoE's data. Getting prepared now will make that transition smoother. "Every year, we witness a surge in air pollution during the winter season. The report highlights dire consequences for health, the economy, biodiversity and the climate. The smoke generated from the wildfires worsened the pollution, according to an officer at the Division. Find out more. To The Editor The . Hundreds of thousands are sheltering in tents, breathing air thick with pollutants unleashed from tombs of rubble, fearful that a new disaster could strike at any moment. Efforts for improving air quality should be of utmost priority now so that safety of citizens' health can be ensured. Macrotech Developers Ltd. 997.35 152.6. News from Indian environment including wildlife like tiger, lion, elephants. Education ministry spokesman Deepak Sharma said about eight million students have been affected by the closures. The website is owned and published by The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity. Tags: environment, pollution, Philippines Coronavirus Bulletin Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. Q : Only continent in the world without a desert is. The high mountains around the Kathmandu valley allows air pollution to accumulate in the city. Find out about our mission, and our team, here. Since the festival of Diwali ended last week, the air quality in New Delhi has drastically deteriorated, resulting in air pollution levels reaching nearly 10 times healthy limits. The Department of Environments own measuring station in parts of Kathmandu showed the AQI staying above 400 all day on Monday. World news on global warming, climate change, wildlife, pollution, carbon business and climate politics. From his home in Kathmandus Chabahil, Basudevs walks take him around Pashupatinath Temple and the Guheshwori area. Kakhara Madhyam Pvt. The US Environmental Protection Agency gave the all clear for residents to return home shortly after the February 3 derailment and controlled burn that followed. Measurement of air quality through the Air Quality Index (AQI) in city areas of the centralised valley, along with few areas of the Tarai region, shows that air pollution has become rampant. This company thinks bacteria can help fix fashion's water pollution problem. Also, news . The average exposure for the officers was 51.2 g/m 3, with an hourly maximum of more than 500 g/m 3. But so far, the government has done almost nothing to control air pollution.. Krishna Kumar, a local business person at Kirtipur explained: Many businesses have gone down due to high amount of road dust. This level is considered hazardous, and can lead to serious aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly, [along with] serious risk of respiratory effects in general population, according to the United States Environment Protection Agency. Nepal has ordered schools to close for four days after air pollution climbed to hazardous levels, forcing millions of students to stay home across the country. The leaves of plants are covered in dust particles which limits the photosynthesis rate and affects the plants growth and natural beauty. While asked about the poorest air quality index of the capital city, Shankar Prasad Poudel, information officer for the Department of Environment, said that three major factors have affected the air quality of the Valley. A general view of a street during a smoggy day as the government has orderedschoolsto close for four days after the air pollution climbed to hazardous levels, forcing millions of students to stay home across the country, in Kathmandu, Nepal March 30, 2021. newspaper article on environmental pollution in nepal Posted by July 3, 2022 morenci area schools staff on newspaper article on environmental pollution in nepal Globally, air pollution results in around sevenmillion deaths annually. Yet, 2022 could prove to be a seminal year for the environment, with . Kathmandu valley requires half of the total gasoline consumed in Nepal. of tens of millions of people by 3.7 years. Department of Information Registration No. Besides the quantity of fuel consumption, the poor road conditionof older vehicles istriggeringair quality problems in the valley. A road-widening spree, earthquake destruction and delays in fixing streets . And with reports of Indias north and its capital New Delhi struggling with extreme air pollution, Sunil wonders how much worse the air will get this winter. Butair pollution issues are continue to increase. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . The World Health Organization (WHO) reports fine particulate matter of up to 140 g m-3 - which is around ten times higher than the WHO limit. There has also been a 25% increase in the number of vehicles on the roads. Some air pollution is not seen, but its pungent smell alerts you. Reuters. Says Pallavi Pant, air quality scientist at the Health Effects Institute: Exposures to air pollution have been shown to affect the human bodys immune defence, making an individual more susceptible to respiratory infections such as pneumonia., Editor Online: Sahina Shrestha | Executive Editor: Sonia Awale 2022: Emergency mode for the environment. Furthermore, the life expectancy in the Kathmandu Valley is four years less than that of other Nepalese regions. In Nepal, 35,000 people die annually due to illnesses caused by polluted air. One of the cheapest energy sources. Nepal is not far behind with 98% of its people living in such areas. All of these vehicles degrade the air quality byemitting huge quantitiesof smoke into the ambient environment. Officials at Nepals only international airport in Kathmandu said poor visibility, which was down to 1,000 metres on Monday, widely disrupted flights. (left). The traffic on the most part seemed to move along without any fuss. It is a call to mobilize, say the authors who . El descarrilamiento en East Palestine, Ohio, se ha convertido en uno de los incidentes ms mediticos y ms politizados de su tipo en los ltimos aos. Sonia Awale May 31, 2019. And residents of the capital who smoke get a double whammy. According to the World Air Quality Report, Kathmandu is the seventh most polluted capital city in the world, based on its average yearly PM2.5 level. Air pollution is also the main environmental risk factor for non-communicable diseases like cancers and lung diseases, concludes a recent report by the NCD Alliance and the Forum of International Respiratory Scientists: The challenge is great, but the cure is straight-forward it must be met by national, regional, local and personal responses. At a time when KathmandusAQI was hitting record highs on Tuesday morningwith 438, the New Delhi suburb of Noida recorded less than 151 (AQI World map, below). But public outrage does not seem to translate into action to clean up the air. Because Nepals national government and municipalities have done little to reduce risk, citizens have adopted their own methods of personal protection: wearing masks, installing air purifiers at home and office, cancelling morning walks, and monitoring air pollution levels on apps before allowing children to play outside. The World Health Organisation (WHO)s guidelines state that AQI should be below 35, and the concentration of particles below 2.5 microns should be below 25 g/mover a 24 hour period. Department of Environment on January 5 had released a statement mentioning about the change in weather condition in the country and increasing level of pollution in Kathmandu valley. Sunil Paudel, Basudevs son, stopped going on morning walks last year after learning that Kathmandus air quality was reaching unsafe levels. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, has a population of around3.5 million. Moreover, Kathmandu is ranked as one of the most polluted cities in Asia: according to the airvisual.com, Kathmandu is the seventh most polluted city. Air quality in the capital has deteriorated recently but average pollution readings were not available. The level between 401 and 500 is very hazardous. Since PM2.5 are so small, they are also likely to hang in the air for longer, increasing the chances that they will be inhaled. Other global AQI measurement sites likeIQAirput Kathmandus pollution level at 487 the highest among cities in the region. We all have been well aware about the problem of environmental pollution which has been very petrifying to the living beings. Site By: Hiti Design, On Monday night, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in parts of Kathmandu crossed 500, according to measurements at the. Krishna Kumar, a local business person at Kirtipur explained:Manybusinesseshavegone down due to high amount of road dust. The analysis, based on more than 100 recent peer-reviewed studies, detected over 120 unique PFAS compounds in these animals . 30 Mar 2021. I dont remember this level of pollution in Kathmandu in the past, Khadka told Reuters.