The term "air quality" means the state of the air around us. Good air quality refers to clean, clear, unpolluted air. Clean air is essential to maintaining the delicate balance of life on this planet - not just for humans, but wildlife, vegetation, water and soil. Poor air quality is a result of a number of factors, including emissions from various sources, both natural and "human-caused." Poor air quality occurs when pollutants reach high enough concentrations to endanger human health and/or the environment. Our everyday choices, such as driving cars and burning wood, can have a significant impact on air quality. Air pollution has become a serious environmental concern and a public health risk in Nepal. Government of Nepal has taken various initiatives for the control of air pollution. Air quality monitoring program is one of the initiative of the Department of Environment. Department of Environment is planning to set a network of air quality monitoring network throughout the country. (Info extracted from Air Quality Monitoring, Department of Environment, Ministry of Population and Environment, 30 Dec, 2017)
Particularly for PM2.5, the cautionary statement is made as "active children and adults, and people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma, should avoid all outdoor exertion; everyone else, especially children, should limit outdoor exertion.
Air Quality Index at US Embassy, Kathmandu dated 30th Dec, 2017:
Air Quality Forecast for rest of the week at the US Embassy, Kathmandu:
Details about the Different Air Quality Index and its Health Implications:
Pollution Index (Comparison of Pollution Level across the Cities)
Across the globe, Nepal's capital city Kathmandu has ranked 8th in Pollution Index 2017 as published by the Numbeo recently. African country Ghana's capital city Accra tops the list as Norway's Trondheim ranks as the least polluted cities among 301 cities around the globe with the Pollution Index of 10.15. Whereas the Kathmandu has been sandwiched between Karachi, Pakistan and Kanpur, India at 8th Place with the Pollution Index of 95.34.
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