Kathmandu, March 13: Approximately 42 thousand people die annually in Nepal due to air pollution, according to the Ministry of Health and Population. Ministry spokesperson Dr Prakash Budhathoki said that children under five years old comprise 21 percent of those deaths.
He stated that air pollution causes respiratory problems such as asthma, as well as heart disease and heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and memory weakness.
Experts have pointed out that due to pollution, children may experience respiratory problems, an increased likelihood of heart disease, higher rates of infant illness, risk of childhood cancer, delayed brain development and abnormal behaviour, as well as malnutrition.
Similarly, problems such as the birth of low-weight babies, anaemia, infertility, gestational diabetes, and mental health issues are seen due to high exposure to air pollution.
Dr Budhathoki, the spokesperson of the ministry, said that air pollution in Nepal is eight times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. He stated that the air quality index in Nepal reached up to 185 on Thursday.
According to the WHO standards, the annual average amount of particulate matter considered harmful to health should not exceed five micrograms per cubic metre. Dr Budhathoki stated that if the fine particles are less than that, they can remain suspended in the air and reach the lungs during the breathing process.
He added that the pollution in Nepal is higher than the WHO standards. Air quality index (AQI) from 0 to 50 is considered as healthy, 51 to 100 as moderate, 101 to 150 as harmful for risk groups (elderly, people with chronic diseases and children). An air quality index above 151 is considered unhealthy. If it can be brought down to within WHO standards, it is estimated that the life expectancy of Nepalese will increase by 3.3 years every year.
Air pollution causes 7.9 million deaths across the world annually, and 90 percent of these occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Air pollution occurs due to vehicular emissions, industrial emissions, smoke from open burning of waste and organic matter, dust from roads and construction work, forest fires, and the use of pesticides and insecticides.
