The Wire
Features
2 MIN READ
Air pollution has devastating consequences for human health and the environment.
Air pollution has emerged as an important topic in the upcoming elections. Candidates from various parties have pledged to control pollution.
As The Record’s video makes clear, air pollution has devastating consequences for human health and also for the environment. Black carbon absorbs lots of solar energy, contributes to the melting of Himalayan glaciers and also warms up the air, changing rainfall patterns.
Nepal’s air quality is the fourth-worst in the world, according to Yale’s 2016 Environmental Performance Index. Pollution was at its peak during winter and early spring, with the level of PM 2.5 (tiny particles less than 2.5 microns in width) soaring far above World Health Organization standards. Kathmandu’s pollution is primarily caused by vehicle emissions, open burning, coal-fired brick kilns, and fine dust from the valley’s lacustrine soils. Construction of pipe infrastructure for the Melamchi water project has left the city’s streets particularly dusty in recent months.
Several organizations regularly publish data about air pollution, including the US Embassy and the volunteer-run group Drishti Kathmandu.
Cover photo: Sagar Chhetri.
Stephen Groves Stephen Groves is a freelance journalist and photographer who has covered Nepal for four years. He regularly contributes to Public Radio International and GlobalPost.
Perspectives
11 min read
The most significant international climate event since the Paris Accord is two days away. For Nepal, its citizens’ lives and its long-term development trajectory are at stake.
News
5 min read
Fact checked Nepal's map which is said to have included the disputed territory of Limpiyadhura in northwestern Nepal
Features
7 min read
Community forestry has been a global success story for Nepal, none more so than those in the buffer zone of the country’s many national parks.
Perspectives
10 min read
Fossil fuel-enabled developed nations are now realizing that they are not immune to the impacts of climate change, but the worst effects will be--and are being--felt by poorer countries.
Perspectives
9 min read
Technical shortcomings, inclusivity failures, and large compromises overshadowed small victories at COP26. For Nepal, a stronger communication strategy is necessary.
Features
7 min read
Gelje, one of the 10 men who summited K2 in the winter for the first time, is now aiming to set a record as the youngest to climb all 14 eight-thousanders.
News
3 min read
India’s inauguration of the link road to Mansarovar causes alarm in Nepal, but is a press statement enough?
COVID19
News
4 min read
A daily summary of Covid19-related developments that matter