Workers activity at a house reconstruction project in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Image details
Contributor:
Reynold Sumayku / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2C77873File size:
43.9 MB (1.4 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
4800 x 3200 px | 40.6 x 27.1 cm | 16 x 10.7 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
16 April 2016Location:
Kathmandu, Bagmati Pradesh province, NepalMore information:
Air pollution in Kathmandu Valley, one year after the 2015 Nepal earthquake In 2014, or one year prior to the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, Yale University's Environmental Performance Index (EPI) report ranked Nepal 177th among 178 countries on air quality—only one level above Bangladesh. There were major causes: the number of vehicles in Kathmandu (which has increased by three folds since 2000) and the firing of bricks in kilns, particularly in the Kathmandu valley (which has over 105 kilns). Then the 2015 earthquake struck. According to the country's Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in a rapid environment assesment report published in November 2015, the reconstruction projects—started in September 2015—was carrying some negative impacts on air quality. Debris generated from damaged buildings and hazardous waste (medicals, chemicals, electricals) were released into the air in forms of dust and gases. Smokes from the burning of waste also took part. In April 2016, one year after the earthquakes, it was observed that air quality in Kathmandu in a poor level. Vehicles have already packed the roads. Extraction of sand, gravel, boulders, and clay for massive reconstruction projects have produced dust and particulates. In 2020, through the biennial report published by researchers from Yale and Columbia universities, it is known that millions of people in Nepal still suffer from dangerous levels of air pollution. While the country ranks 145 out of 180 on overall EPI, it ranks 178 out of 180 on air quality. Until 2020, Kathmandu metro area, home to at least 2 million people and the fastest-growing metropolitan area in South Asia, breathes on dangerous-level air quality. However, in May 2020, a Nepali Times' report showed how the visibility in Kathmandu Valley was clear. "For the first time in many years, Mount Everest can be seen again from Kathmandu Valley, " wrote Abhushan Gautam, the writer and photographer. It's due to to the COVID-19 lockdown.