Kathmandu Valley Air Quality Improves Following Rainfall

Kathmandu. The air quality in the Kathmandu Valley has shown signs of improvement again. Pollution, which had increased due to the dry season and forest fires, has started to decrease gradually with the onset of rain in recent days.

According to the Air Quality Index (AQI), the air quality index, which was around 92 last Tuesday, had reached 247 on Thursday. As this level falls into the 'very unhealthy' category, experts had expressed concern about serious impacts on public health. Currently, however, pollution is decreasing, and today the AQI has dropped to 141, which falls into the 'unhealthy' category.

According to the AQI standards, 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'moderate', 101-150 'unhealthy', 151-200 'unhealthy for all', 201-300 'very unhealthy', and above 300 is considered 'hazardous'.

Gyanraj Subedi, Director General of the Department of Environment, stated that rainfall plays a significant role in controlling air pollution. "When there is no rain for a long time, dust and smoke accumulate in the atmosphere, forest fires increase, and the smoke emitted from them settles in the valley, leading to high pollution," he said. "Additionally, polluted air coming from neighboring India also affects the air quality in Kathmandu."

He emphasized that relevant bodies must effectively implement sustainable and eco-friendly development measures to control pollution. According to Binu Maharjan, a meteorologist at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, there is a good chance of rain from Wednesday. This is expected to help control dust and particles in the air, further reducing pollution.