Written by: Safal Gautam - 22016, Grade XI
Posted on: 04 April, 2021
Living in the Kathmandu valley has become very dangerous as we have been inhaling endless amounts of dust as we roam around the city. Currently, in the pandemic, most people started wearing masks while heading out of their house. But, this practice has also been decreasing as citizens of Nepal have started to walk around without wearing a mask.
Yesterday, on 26th March 2021, most parts of the country faced hazardous haze blankets as the wildfires in Nepal continue to spread. People roaming outside have been left with burning eye sensation and respiratory difficulty. According to reports, the yellow haze had entered many districts and cities from Makwanpur. More than 110 places in Nepal have been affected due to wildfire during this past week including Langtang National Park that caught fire yesterday morning.
The Kathmandu Valley, being just 32 kilometers away from Langtang National park could not let the air flow out due to it being a basin-shaped valley thus trapping the pollutants inside. Due to the smog and air pollution, visibility has been lowered to an unprecedented level. Many flights that were supposed to land in Nepal had to be diverted to India while some could barely land after being held in the air for almost an hour.
Statistics have shown that Kathmandu valley has been ranked as the most polluted city having a total pollution level of 294 AQI Friday evening. Even before, on January 4, 2021, Kathmandu had reached a shocking level of 500 AQI as reported by the American Embassy in Kathmandu. Some people have recorded the Air Quality Index to have reached a shocking level of 632 at 3 PM during Friday, almost 20 times more hazardous than the air WHO has said is safe to breathe.
The air quality was not only bad due to the smoke omitted from the wildfires but due to industrial and vehicular gas emissions as well as the sand dust blowing from Arabian and Indian Deserts this past week. The MoHP has strictly warned the citizens to wear masks when going outside so as not to degrade their health conditions.
Reference: The Himalayan Times, The Nepali Times
