KATHMANDU: Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, has been ranked as the seventh most polluted city in the world as of this morning.

The city is grappling with severe air pollution, with PM2.5 levels soaring to 171 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) at 9:30 am, as reported by IQ AirVisual.

The current PM2.5 concentration in Kathmandu is a staggering 19 times higher than the annual air quality guideline value set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Bhaktapur, another city in the Kathmandu Valley, is also experiencing very unhealthy air quality, with PM2.5 levels reaching 292 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3), which is 48.5 times higher than the WHO annual air quality guideline.

Delhi, the capital of India, currently holds the unenviable title of the most polluted city globally, followed by Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

To shed light on the severity of the situation, here are some recent pictures of the Kathmandu Valley captured by Ratopati photojournalist Subhash Shrestha: