A Love Beyond Measure: The Unforgettable Reunion, , . Coca-Cola is named world's worst plastic polluter for a fifth year. The average global citizen loses 2.2 years of life with today's levels of air pollution and, if nothing changes, that adds up to . Anupamaas Nidhi Shahs off-screen glam looks, Top 10 T'wood actresses of the 80s and 90s, Shraddha Das rocks the thigh-high slit trend, Live: PM addresses post-budget webinar on Green Growth, Oscars to have Crisis Team after Will Smith slapgate, Adani's older brother plays key role at embattled dynasty, Terms of Use and Grievance Redressal Policy. Photo Courtesy: Department of Environment/Air Quality Montoring, President candidate Poudel reaches RSP office seeking votes, US, Russia hold highest-level talks since Ukraine invasion, Scathing report on Nepal's security controls, In Pictures: Air Pollution continues its grip over Kathmandu Valley, China acknowledges Sino-Indian brawl at Galwan Valley from last year for the first time, Covid vaccination drive in Nepal could be affected with Indian govt halting AstraZeneca export. The 24-hour average level of PM2.5, fine particulate matter that can reach deep . For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service, : Nepal has ordered schools to close for four days after. As the new year gets underway, the world continues to grapple with a number of familiar challenges - the continued COVID-19 pandemic, resurgent wildfires, enduring crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. But air pollution issues are continue to increase. According to Tuladhar, New Delhi was able to immediately swing into action because it had an action plan to deal with the crisis. In Nepal and Kathmandu the annual premature death due to air pollution hit37,399 and 9943 respectively,according to aRepublica news report published on 23 November 2019. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Human error eyed as cause of Yeti Airlines crash that killed 72 people, 2 Americans, 2 permanent US residents among 72 dead in Nepal plane crash, Father of flight attendant urged her not to work before Nepal crash left 70 dead, Nepal to send data recorder from crash to France. The 24-hour average level of PM2.5, fine particulate matter that can reach deep into the lungs, was 214 micrograms per cubic metre in the upscale area of Bhaisepati in Kathmandu on Sunday, Department of Environment data showed.That compares with the government's standard level of 40 micrograms per cubic metre. The COP27 sponsor's products were the most commonly found items by volunteers researching plastic pollution. 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. Nepal is not far behind with 98% of its people living in such areas. To The Editor The . That said, old diesel vehicles are contributing significantly to the poor air quality in the city. 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. Plastic pollution in oceans and other bodies of water continues to grow sharply and could more than double by 2030, according to an assessment released on Thursday by the UN Environment Programme ( UNEP ). There are dozens of varieties of masks available in the market, along with air purifiers that cost more than Rs130,000. Site By: Hiti Design, On Monday night, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in parts of Kathmandu crossed 500, according to measurements at the. Majorities express "a great deal" of worry about the pollution of both drinking water (56%) and rivers, lakes and reservoirs (53%). Rapid and haphazard urbanisation in the last few decades has resulted in the degradation of the environment, predominantly in terms of air pollution. In recent years, cities in the Tarai have become infamous for the poor quality of their air, mostly because of the heavy presence of industries, dust from construction, and also trans-boundary pollution. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, has a population of around3.5 million. Microplastics are man-made pollutants which have been detected in surface water and groundwater. One of those rivers is the Melamchi, about 25 . The country of 30 million people lies in the Himalayas between China and India, two of the worlds biggest polluters. An article by three Brazilian researchers published in Environmental Science and Pollution Research aims to contribute to progress in this field by proposing a novel perspective on particle . Electrified public transport would have been a good place to start, but 6 months after Prime Minister KP Oli launched an electric mobility action plan to turn at least 20% of public vehicles into battery-operated ones by 2020, progress has been slow. PM2.5 levels of 403.72 g/m3 were recorded at 7pm on November 4 in Nepalgunj, the highest for the country in the past week. 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. Basudev Paudel is in his late fifties and at his age, he believes that regular morning walks are important for keeping healthy. 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 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. 25th Jan, 2023. All of these vehicles degrade the air quality byemitting huge quantitiesof smoke into the ambient environment. The high mountains around the Kathmandu valley allows air pollution to accumulate inthe city. The average exposure for the officers was 51.2 g/m 3, with an hourly maximum of more than 500 g/m 3. PM2.5, or Particulate Matter less than 2.5 microns thick, are among the most dangerous of air particles as they can get past the nose and throat to enter the lungs and even the bloodstream. The government has declared a public health emergency, asking schools to shut down and residents to avoid outdoor physical activities, especially during morning and late evening. Quantifying the socio-economic impact of air pollution on a country will be vital in raising awareness among the public as well as policy makers and leaders, but as we have seen in Nepal it does not immediately lead to policy change. The company's plan to a second gas-fired power plant next to the existing one is being opposed by residents of the mainly minority and low-income communities around the plant who say an environmental justice law signed over two years ago by New Jersey Gov. 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. News about Air Pollution, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. 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 purely b. wisely c. competentlyd. Ironically, World No Tobacco Day falls on 31 May, just four days ahead of Environment Day. The 3rd leading cause of death in low and middle-income countries is COPD, 5th leading cause is Lower Respiratory Infections and seventh is Diarrheal diseases. Southwesterly winds have carried in some clouds with dust particles, mainly in the western parts of Tarai districts like Kanchanpur, Banke and Bardiya, Poudel told the Post. At a time when Kathmandus, AQI was hitting record highs on Tuesday morning, with 438, the New Delhi suburb of Noida recorded less than 151 (. The garbage should be properly disposed and managed. This indicates, around a quarter of the total deaths due to air pollution in Nepal are in Kathmandu. EIAs must be submitted to Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) for approval, whereas IEEs can be approved by other relevant ministries. Other global AQI measurement sites like. at Phora Darbar. Fri 3 Mar 2023 06.19 EST. It may bring various adverse impact to the environment. 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. Modern day Nepal is one of the most polluted and impoverished places in the world. Most make various performance claims based on lab tests but factors like the masks fit play important roles. of tens of millions of people by 3.7 years. Download the latest essay from our Megamorphosis series now. Similarly, Dhangadhi was third in line to have the most degraded air quality among the list of stations measuring the AQI. The birds identified as having the disease, named . editors@nepalitimes.com | www.nepalitimes.com | www.himalmedia.com | Tel: 01-5005602 The air in Kathmandu, already dubbed one of the most polluted cities in the world, gets worse once the winter sets in. We human beings have been using the natural resources profusely. We know what we're looking at when brown haze settles over a city, exhaust billows across a busy highway, or a plume rises from a smokestack. It urges the polluters to pay for the damage done to the natural environment. Air quality in the capital has deteriorated recently but average pollution readings were not available. 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. Environmental Health issues are a not major risk factors for the Global Burden of Diseases. Adriana Paulo de Sousa Oliveira, Paula Assemany, Lidiane Covell, Maria Lcia Calijuri. FEATURED FUNDS. 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. With New Delhi and parts of northern India suffering under hazardous pollution levels, Nepal needs to take heed and prepare accordingly, environmental activists say. Additionally, problems like littering and excessive carbon emissions are causing problems for both people and the environment. If there is any health advisory from the government, our family will stop going on regular morning walks, said Sunil. "We found that the pollution exposure was really, really high, suggesting potential for substantial health impacts of air pollution in this region," says Gurung, who is now a doctoral candidate at F&ES. Factors contributing to this level of pollution are local, said Shankar Prasad Paudel, information officer with the Department of Environment. However, two years later, the action plan has neither been finalised nor enforced. Air pollution has been a major problem of 21st century for both developed and developing world. In Nepal, 35,000 people die annually due to illnesses caused by polluted air. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh recently concluded that surgical masks blocked 80% of particles sized 0.007 microns. I would be very thankful to you if you publish my article on your esteemed daily.Hope the government will take immediate action on this matter. This company thinks bacteria can help fix fashion's water pollution problem. In terms of air pollution, the 2016 Environmental Performance Index (EPI)ranked Nepal 177thout of 180 countries. Air pollution shortens lives more than any other external cause. The victims of air pollution urgently require an appropriate action plan for mitigating these problems. I have started wearing a mask whenever Im outdoors.. D espite public awareness and relentless media coverage, Kathmandu's air quality has worsened in the past two years. Spain. But so far, the government has done almost nothing to control air pollution.. The Geyh-Bouwer Trainee Practice Award recognizes students whose application of science demonstrates the betterment of the environment and/or public health. Fewer, though still substantial minorities ranging between 40% and 45% . Yours sincerely, Rajesh. This is also indicated in maroon. 2022: Emergency mode for the environment. Thepolluter pays' principlewas introduced in1972 in order to address this issue. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . Air pollution regularly exceeds recommended safe levels. Thanking you. World news on global warming, climate change, wildlife, pollution, carbon business and climate politics. Air pollution is a silent killer and while it is difficult to quantify its heath impact, hospitalisation due to serious respiratory diseases has increased sharply in recent years, says chest specialist Raju Pangeni at HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu. 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. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Senate voted Thursday to make it harder for thieves to sell stolen catalytic converters, a crime that has skyrocketed across the country in recent years. We all have been well aware about the problem of environmental pollution which has been very petrifying to the living beings. These are the key points that needs to be followed in order to bring a positive change in the environment. We can develop our own action plan to combat air pollution and also introduce other measures like enforcing green stickers for vehicles, among many others.. The Art of Dealing with Breaking Up: Get over those blues and Take Break-Ups Lightly. At times, it feels like my eyes are burning, said 34-year-old Sunil. 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. As we see the readings from air quality metres located in various stations of the country, we find that Simara has the poorest air quality. Subsequent increase in number of vehicles is one of the main culprits of air pollution [ 33, 34 ]. New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood. Nifty-129.. NSE Gainer-Large Cap . AQI level between 0-50 is Good, 51-100 is Moderate, 101-150 is Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, 151-200 is Unhealthy, 201-300 is Very Unhealthy, and anything above 301 is regarded as Hazardous. Prices range from Rs10 to Rs10,500. The same report ranked Nepal the eighth most polluted country in the world. In Nepal, COPD is the second major cause of death after Ischemic Heart Diseases. Department of Information Registration No. In addition, vehicles passing over broken or traveled roadrelease huge amounts of dust particles into the air, worsening air pollution further. Krishna Kumar, a local business person at Kirtipur explained: Many businesses have gone down due to high amount of road dust. The size of dust particles are larger compared to biomass burning or vehicular emissions. Efforts for improving air quality should be of utmost priority now so that safety of citizens' health can be ensured. Dust from construction works, exhaust from old, poorly maintained vehicles and smoke from coal-burning brick kilns blend in a murky haze that hangs over the ancient city of four million people, raising the risk of cancer, stroke, asthma and high blood pressure, experts say.