, Change the direct speech to indirect speech; She said, "I am going to London today". This index is coloured red. When will women lead big political parties? 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. New Delhis AQI levels, which have been consistently high all winter because of crop residue burning as well as vehicular and industrial pollution, got a respite on Monday because of rainfall. The birds identified as having the disease, named . Butair pollution issues are continue to increase. The Threat of Ambient Air Pollution in Kathmandu, Nepal - ResearchGate 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. Air pollution in Kathmandu - The Ecologist The first step in controlling air pollution is with electric public transport because vehicular emissions make up the majority of pollutants in Kathmandus air, says environmentalist Bhushan Tuladhar. This means Kathmandus pollution has been 15 times higher than the WHO standard. 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. To receive the magazine, become a member now. Dealing with a problem that is transboundary in nature requires strong regional cooperation, she said. Philippines Scrambles to Contain Oil Spill and Locate Sunken Fuel Tanker These two are just representative examples of millions of people who are directly or indirectly affected by dust,a burning issue ofthe twenty firstcentury. All of these vehicles degrade the air quality by emitting huge quantities of smoke into the ambient environment. Subsequent increase in number of vehicles is one of the main culprits of air pollution [ 33, 34 ]. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to update its water pollution rules for slaughterhouses for the first time in nearly 20 years, the agency announced on Wednesday, following a lawsuit from environmental groups arguing current standards are too weak, according to Reuters. Indeed, a long-term solution requires policy level intervention and coordination between all branches of government. Fewer, though still substantial minorities ranging between 40% and 45% . In 2013, a team of Cambridge University scientists were in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, developing a device to measure . In Cities, Reducing Air Pollution Could Lower Cancer Rates At Similar The index stood at 214 as per DoE's data. There is now growing fear that the toxic air of India, which had 22 of the worlds most polluted cities in 2018, will reach Nepal and cause a similar health panic, especially as the country itself has been struggling to check its air pollution levels. 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 governments standard level is 40 micrograms per cubic metre. 12 February 2021. It remained at above 500 from 10PM till 5AM, falling to 480 at 7AM on Tuesday. Air pollution is a chronic problem in the rapidly growing capital city of Kathmandu and an additional headache for the government, which is struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic. But poor air quality from as far as New Delhi cannot penetrate deep into Nepal.. Download the latest essay from our Megamorphosis series now. Groundbreaking map shows toxic 'forever chemicals' in more than 330 There is a proportionately very high consumption of gasoline and diesel inthe valley. 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. Though the readings slowly became less alarming after the morning hours, at 10:00 am and onwards, the readings for Simara was still lingering above 300; others (stations mentioned above) showed the index between 151 to 200. The website is owned and published by The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity. The government should ban the use of old vehicles. Education ministry spokesman Deepak Sharma said about eight million students have been affected by the closures. AQI levels in north India and Nepal on 5 January at 8AM showing Kathmandu's much higher pollution levels compared to New Delhi. However, two years later, the action plan has neither been finalised nor enforced. Find out more. The World Health Organisation ('WHO') has reported that PM2.5 levels of particulate matter in urban areas of Nepal . The victims of air pollutionurgently requirean appropriate action plan for mitigating these problems. Or, download a free sample copy of a past issue of Resurgence & Ecologist. The COP27 sponsor's products were the most commonly found items by volunteers researching plastic pollution. The derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals upended a region of Ohio where generations of families could afford to buy acres of land, raise livestock and plant gardens. In countries such as China, India and Nepal, air quality may have slightly improved in recent years, but the health risks due to PM2.5 haven't changed much, he said. Copper multifaceted interferences during swine wastewater treatment in high rate algal ponds: Alterations on nutrient removal, biomass composition and resource recovery. On hand was Marcia Bernicat of the US Bureau of Oceans and International Environment and Scientific Affairs. Ltd. Mhepi-16, Kathmandu, Nepal Company Reg. Implication of Air Pollution on Health Effects in Nepal: Lessons from Your email address will not be published. EIAs must be submitted to Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoFE) for approval, whereas IEEs can be approved by other relevant ministries. Air pollution has had a massive impact on Nepalese people. Nepal closes schools as air pollution hits alarming levels - Al Jazeera Air qualities in cities like Birgunj, Nepalgunj and Bhairahawa get worse due to local air pollution, supported by stagnation of air in this season where there is an inversion of temperature, a reversal of the normal behaviour of temperature in the troposphere, said Poudel, the meteorologist. This company thinks bacteria can help fix fashion's water pollution problem. Once again, Kathmandu breathes world's most polluted air, AQI hits 303. Haze engulfs Kathmandu valley as the air pollution increases to unhealthy levels, on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. Nepal isn't short of water, thanks to the monsoon rains and the rivers that bring meltwater down from the Himalayan glaciers and snowpack. A general view of a street during a smoggy day as the government has orderedschoolsto close for four days after the air pollution climbed to hazardous levels, forcing millions of students to stay home across the country, in Kathmandu, Nepal March 30, 2021. Also, news from United Nations. We human beings have been using the natural resources profusely. Located between China and India, two of the worlds biggest polluters, the Himalayan nation is seeing the worst pollution levels since 2016. According to Poudel, the pollution level in the border towns of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar can slightly influence pollution along the border area. Benchmarks . Other global AQI measurement sites like. The major effect of air pollution can be mainly observed in the cities such as Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Nepalgunj, and Lumbini. By Sophie Wodzak,Emily Cochrane and Lisa Friedman. Majorities express "a great deal" of worry about the pollution of both drinking water (56%) and rivers, lakes and reservoirs (53%). It remained at above 500 from 10PM till 5AM, falling to 480 at 7AM on Tuesday. Similarly, the hotel business (khaja ghar) of Ram Karki has also slowed down majorly due to road dust emission. 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. Write a newspaper article on environmental pollution in Nepal to be published in a newspaper. As AQ AirVisual data shows, PM2.5 levels in Kathmandu saw a continuous rise last yearfrom 65.6 g/m3 in November, followed by 91.9 g/m3 in December, 92.5g/m3 in January and peaking at 96.3 g/m3 in February. ? The Threat of Ambient Air Pollution in Kathmandu, Nepal - Hindawi 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.. 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 (. Despite the fact that most people in our country are breathing the air with such perilous level pollution, we still lack the vigour to act responsibly against the situation. 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 ). The number of vehicles in the valley during the last two decades has increased ninefold, and reached 922,900 in total during 2015, according to the Department of Transport Management in Nepal. 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. Advertisement 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. Legal provisions should be made in order for people to manage solid wastes properly. Recently the government has decided that the plastics that are less than 40 microns will be banned from use from the month of Shrawan 2078. The transport sector further contributes 30 percent of PM10 particles, which are smaller than a grain of sand and can easily pass through the hairs in our nose, second only to the construction sector, which emits 53 percent of the total PM10. In 2017, solar electricity costs dropped from $0.28 to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour for utility-scale photovoltaic solar power. The government has also decided to sell the natural minerals like sand, rocks, mud etc to India. New disease caused by plastics discovered in seabirds Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, has a population of around 3.5 million. In addition, vehicles passing over broken or traveled roadrelease huge amounts of dust particles into the air, worsening air pollution further. According to AQ AirVisual, a Swiss group that collects air-quality data from around the world, the annual average PM2.5 level for Kathmandu in 2018 was 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3), an increase from 45.9 g/m3 in 2017. It is a major threat to global health and prosperity. In Chabahil, Sunil remains concerned for his fathers health, who continues to take his walk despite the morning haze. The environment has been in a better condition. Globally, air pollution results in around seven million deaths annually. 30 Mar 2021. The entire population is more likely to be affected. News from Indian environment including wildlife like tiger, lion, elephants. I dont remember this level of pollution in Kathmandu in the past, Khadka told Reuters. Ever since the lockdown started in Nepal, there has been a little more positive change in the environment since the vehicles are barely on the road and people dont travel much. ONTARIO, Calif., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kickstarting the autonomous bus revolution in the US, the city of Houston is set to receive the first Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Buy America-compliant mid-size autonomous bus in the US. When a vehicle passes by, dust is released into the air and pollutes the clothes that are kept for selling and the customers do not like the polluted ones. The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, found that in polluted urban areas, reducing air pollution could do as much as completely eliminating smoking would to lower rates of the 12 types of cancer most commonly associated with smoking, including lung cancer, stomach cancer, kidney cancer . Similarly, a University of Massachusetts study found that the good old surgical mask blocked 60% of 0.03 micron particles, and over 90% of 1 micron and 2.5 micron particles. Most make various performance claims based on lab tests but factors like the masks fit play important roles. All news about Environment pollution | Euronews With New Delhi and parts of northern India suffering under hazardous pollution levels, Nepal needs to take heed and prepare accordingly, environmental activists say. Plastic overconsumption and mismanagement of plastic waste is a growing menace, causing landfills to overflow, choking rivers, and threatening marine ecosystems. One of the cheapest energy sources. Sunil Paudel, Basudevs son, stopped going on morning walks last year after learning that Kathmandus air quality was reaching unsafe levels. It was interesting to note that despite the manic traffic and lack of infrastructure many city roads were dirt tracks, with no traffic lights evident. A paper published in the December 2000 volume of the International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences on pollution in the Narayani placed the blame squarely on the Gorkha Brewery (and a paper mill that has since closed down) for much of the pollution in Nepal's third-largest river. This is a very great decision taken by the government. Rapid and haphazard urbanisation in the last few decades has resulted in the degradation of the environment, predominantly in terms of air pollution. "I don't remember this level of pollution in Kathmandu in the past," Khadka told Reuters. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . Environmental news, a monthly report on Global - Warm Heart Worldwide Over the weekend, pollution levels hit their highest in the capital since the government began keeping records in 2016, government official Shankar Paudel told Reuters. 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. Q There are cloth masks and surgical ones, some are disposable but many use replaceable filters. We chartered a train to Glasgow for COP26 and took 500 people with us. Therefore, this study investigates the presence and abundance of microplastic in lake surface water . The US government held a meeting in Kathmandu this month of its embassy staff specialising in air pollution based in 30 Asian countries. We should work for the betterment of the environment because the nature has provided a lot to us and we shouldnt be disgraceful towards it. 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. People must stay safe indoors and not come out except for emergencies, the health ministry said. Novel method of analyzing microplastic particle pollution can Nepal, especially Kathmandu, in the current situation, is observing rapid urbaniz Furthermore, the life expectancy in the Kathmandu Valley is four years less than that of other Nepalese regions. (left). KATHMANDU Nepal has ordered schools to close for four days after air pollution climbed to hazardous levels, forcing millions of students to stay home across the country. In addition, vehicles passing over broken or traveled road release huge amounts of dust particles into the air, worsening air pollution further. The visibility in Kathmandu valley has degraded to a significant level. Nepal, with a population of 30 million people, is located in the Himalayas between China and India, two of the worlds biggest polluters. Even before Covid-19, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had warned that poorair qualityin northern India and the Tarai was already thereducing average lifespanof tens of millions of people by 3.7 years. 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. The garbage should be properly disposed and managed. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh recently concluded that surgical masks blocked 80% of particles sized 0.007 microns. The high mountains around the Kathmandu valley allows air pollution to accumulate inthe city. International breweries are polluting Nepalese rivers This is a grave threat to public health, the government should have declared an emergency and taken urgent measures to curb pollution, says environmental expert Bhushan Tuladhar. The study sounds the alarm that the growing global problem, which scientists are only beginning to understand, requires urgent and immediate action. Air pollution is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes., Solution to pollution, Pallavi Pant and Anobha Gurung. In this level of air quality, everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. Iturges the polluters to pay for thedamage done to the natural environment. Required fields are marked *. We could barely see the birds flying around before but nowadays we can see the birds chirping and flying up in the sky due to decrease in air pollution. This indicates, around a quarterof the total deaths due to air pollution in Nepal are in Kathmandu. Air pollution regularly exceeds recommended safe levels. 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. WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Of six environmental problems facing the U.S., Americans remain most worried about those that affect water quality. The EPI recently found Nepal to have the worst air pollution in the world. It is now causing heart attacks, kidney diseases, osteoporosis and dementia. Strong laws related to environment should be made and implemented. once done will text u on pint nd ins, I saw a fantastic film yesterday. Air pollution shortens lives more than any other external cause. Environment pollution in Nepal - Similarly, the hotel business (khaja ghar) of Ram Karki has also slowed down majorly due to road dust emission. Rivers, ponds and lakes should not be polluted because it affects animals and plants lives too. Publisher: Kunda Dixit, Himalmedia Pvt Ltd | Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur | GPO Box 7251 Kathmandu Ever since the lockdown started in Nepal, there has been a . Kathmandu valley requires half of the total gasoline consumed in Nepal. Water Pollution Remains Top Environmental Concern in U.S. - Gallup.com Globally, air pollution results in around sevenmillion deaths annually. "Every year, we witness a surge in air pollution during the winter season. In Nepal and Kathmandu the annual premature death due to air pollution hit 37,399 and 9943 respectively, according to a Republica news report published on 23 November 2019. The agency, along with local and . For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service, : Nepal has ordered schools to close for four days after. 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. editors@nepalitimes.com | www.nepalitimes.com | www.himalmedia.com | Tel: 01-5005602 Similarly, one-fifth of the total diesel is used in Kathmandu. Due to the industrial revolution from the late 20th century the environment has been polluted to such an extent that now it has become a global issue. Site By: Hiti Design, The first step in reducing air pollution is to let, Nepali scientist returns to pinpoint hazards of dirty air, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IudF3qNM-xE&feature=youtu.benobha Gurung could have had a distinguished international career in, Sonia Awale s winter sets in and air quality deteriorates,. Apex court orders acceptance of writ against PM, dubbed one of the most polluted cities in the world, air pollution levels reaching nearly 10 times healthy limits, 22 of the worlds most polluted cities in 2018, ranked Nepal the eighth most polluted country, PM2.5 level for Kathmandu in 2018 was 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter (g/m3, deteriorating quality of air in Kathmandu Valley, Overextraction and shrinking open spaces cause groundwater depletion in Kathmandu Valley, As season of forest fires starts, authorities alert public to risks, History and politics of Nepals school education, Insurgency-era victims of sexual crimes still unheard. Environment News, Earth News, Global Warming, Wild Life, Carbon Trading The air in Kathmandu, already dubbed one of the most polluted cities in the world, gets worse once the winter sets in. When you can frame the problem in terms of how many people are dying and how much productivity is lost, then it becomes much more urgent.. 2022: Emergency mode for the environment - UNEP 'A waste of time and money': Why are EIAs so ineffective in Nepal? Donate to The Ecologist and support high impact environmental journalism and analysis. But this winter, the haze barely let us see through it. This indicates, around a quarter of the total deaths due to air pollution in Nepal are in Kathmandu. Thepolluter pays' principlewas introduced in1972 in order to address this issue. 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. Besides the quantity of fuel consumption, the poor road condition of older vehicles is triggering air quality problems in the valley. And residents of the capital who smoke get a double whammy. This may collapse the whole ecosystem in general. Thereportsays that 100% of the population in India lives in areas where PM2.5 levels are higher than the WHO Air Quality Guideline. Phil Murphy but which has yet to take full effect should prevent the .