Kathmandu Valley braces for another season of air pollution

As the post-monsoon dry season starts, pollution is building across Kathmandu Valley. Several monitoring locations recorded unhealthy air on Thursday morning. This matters because dry-season pollution can reach hazardous levels and expose large numbers of people to harmful fine particles.

Mid-Baneshwar recorded 153 μg/m³ of PM2.5. Shantichowk in Bhaktapur recorded 151, while Tarakeshwar recorded 147 and Ranibari 145. Teku, Gaushala Chowk, Chhetrapati, and Balaju also recorded high readings. The US Environmental Protection Agency classifies 151 to 200 as unhealthy for everyone.

Experts warn that conditions may worsen. Paddy stubble burning has begun in Nepal’s Tarai and neighbouring India, and polluted air can drift into Nepal. Authorities have also done little to control road dust, repair potholes, or discourage waste burning. The article says the worst days may still be ahead.

PM2.5 means particulate matter made of solid particles or liquid droplets smaller than 2.5 micrometres across. Their tiny size makes them especially dangerous. Unlike larger particles, they can pass beyond the nose and throat and penetrate deep into the lungs.

The article explains that PM2.5 can even enter the bloodstream. These particles also remain suspended in the air for long periods. That increases the chance that people will inhale them, especially when pollution levels stay elevated. Exposure is therefore not limited to one brief burst of dirty air.

The health burden can be extensive. The World Bank identifies air pollution as Nepal’s leading risk factor for death and disability, ahead of malnutrition and tobacco use. It links polluted air to respiratory disease, strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, neonatal problems, and diabetes. Children are especially affected by widespread exposure.

Kathmandu Valley’s highest reported PM2.5 concentration was 153 μg/m³ in Mid-Baneshwar. Shantichowk recorded 151, while Tarakeshwar recorded 147 and Ranibari 145. Other locations, including Teku and Balaju, also recorded readings from 134 to 139 μg/m³.

The World Health Organization recommends a 24-hour average of no more than 15 μg/m³ and an annual average of no more than 5 μg/m³. The Mid-Baneshwar reading was therefore over ten times the WHO 24-hour recommendation. It was also above the US Environmental Protection Agency’s 151-to-200 category, which is considered unhealthy for everyone.

Readings from 101 to 150 are considered unhealthy for sensitive groups under the US system. That category applied to several Valley locations. The article notes that sensitive people may experience adverse effects, while the general public is less likely to be affected at those levels.

Air pollution usually worsens in Kathmandu Valley during the dry season. The article reports that pollution levels often become hazardous and can sometimes make Kathmandu the world’s most polluted city. Dry-season conditions coincide with activities that release more smoke and dust into the air.

Paddy harvesting has begun in Nepal’s Tarai and neighbouring India, and farmers are burning stubble. Road dust also remains a problem because authorities have not adequately repaired potholes or controlled dusty roads. Waste burning adds another local source. During Diwali, pollution in India often reaches toxic levels, and polluted air drifts across the border into Nepal.

These combined sources can keep harmful particles suspended over populated areas. The article reports that border towns Butwal and Dhangadhi each recorded 160 μg/m³ on Thursday morning. Experts say the worst days are still ahead because stubble burning has only just begun and official controls remain limited.

Several activities are producing or worsening the pollution. Farmers are burning paddy stubble during the peak harvesting season in Nepal and India. In Kathmandu, road dust remains uncontrolled, potholes have not been adequately fixed, and waste burning continues. These sources add particles to already polluted dry-season air.

Smoke from stubble burning can travel beyond the fields where it starts. The article says polluted air from India often drifts across the border into Nepal during Diwali, when Indian pollution can reach toxic levels. Nepal’s border towns recorded PM2.5 readings of 160 μg/m³ in both Butwal and Dhangadhi.

That cross-border movement means Nepal’s pollution is not only a Kathmandu problem or a domestic problem. Burning in the Tarai and India can affect communities far from the fires. Bhupendra Das says the worst days are yet to come because stubble burning has begun and Nepal has done little to control air pollution.

Prolonged exposure to polluted air can damage many parts of the body. The World Bank reports that air pollution is now Nepal’s leading risk factor for death and disability. It cuts average life expectancy by 3.4 years and causes about 26,000 premature deaths annually.

The article links pollution to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, strokes, ischemic heart disease, lower respiratory infections, lung cancer, neonatal problems, and diabetes. PM2.5 can reach the lungs and bloodstream, while its ability to stay airborne increases inhalation. The US system says sensitive groups can experience health effects at 101 to 150, and more serious effects at higher levels.

Children are especially important in the article’s warning. UNICEF reports that 9.9 million children in Nepal are exposed to unhealthy air, calling pollution one of the country’s most widespread environmental threats to children. The report urges climate policies, financing, and action that place children at the centre.

Reducing Kathmandu’s pollution requires action on both local dust and regional smoke. Authorities could repair potholes, control road dust, and run awareness campaigns against waste burning. These measures address problems experts say have been allowed to persist through official inaction and public indifference.

Agricultural burning also needs attention. Nepal and neighbouring India could discourage or better control the burning of paddy stubble during harvest season. This matters because smoke can travel across borders and reach Nepal’s cities and towns. The article specifically identifies stubble burning in Nepal’s Tarai and India as a growing seasonal threat.

The article does not present a detailed programme or claim that one measure would solve the problem. It does show the urgency of acting before pollution worsens. Das warns that health costs will be far greater than the public realises. Stronger controls, repairs, awareness, and action are presented as necessary responses.