Polluted air can spoil, so be careful

Polluted air can spoil, so be careful

After all, no matter the weather, it has its own rhythm. On top of that, it is not uncommon for him to react when we repeatedly start disturbing the environmental cycle. Did we feel the weather all day today? Yes, today's weather was not in its natural rhythm. Today, major cities of the country including Kathmandu were not as normal as other days. Cold weather, slow gusts of wind. As the winter approaches, the wind is becoming more and more harmful.

Today's weather can be understood in mathematical language in this way. Generally air quality measurement AQI should be less than 100. However, the AQI in Kathmandu this afternoon is 160 per hour. Which is considered unhealthy from the point of view of public health. This afternoon there are 198 in Birgunj, 194 in Butwal, 178 in Narayani, 157 in Kirtipur, 153 in Dhangadhi and 152 in Janakpur.

The amount of air pollution has been increasing since Wednesday. According to Saturday's statistics, Kathmandu was the eighth most polluted city in the world. According to IQR data, the PM-2.5 level reached 176 per hour in Kathmandu on Saturday morning. A score above 151 is considered unhealthy.

Invisible dust particles in the air are PM10 and PM2.5. Of these, PM10 is associated with dust particles in the air and PM2.5 is associated with harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, sulfur and nitrogen oxides. Air quality measurement is good if the PM2.5 level of AQI is up to 50, 51-100 is medium, 101-150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151-200 is unhealthy, 201-300 is very unhealthy and above 300 is dangerous.

Air pollution has been on the rise since Wednesday. According to Saturday's statistics, Kathmandu was the eighth most polluted city in the world. According to IQR data, the PM-2.5 level reached 176 per hour in Kathmandu on Saturday morning. A score above 151 is considered unhealthy.

Looking at the statistics of the last one week, the environmental pollution has been increasing in Nepal for the last few days. According to Bhushan Tuladhar, an environmentalist, air pollution usually increases every year during winter. "There are two main reasons for the increase in air pollution, one natural and the other human," says Tuladhar. However, in winter, when water is scarce, pollution freezes, which increases air pollution. '

In winter, the air is less moving which causes pollution to accumulate in one place. According to Tuladhar, in a city like Kathmandu, cold and hot air acts as a cover in winter season and keeps the pollution where it is, which makes the environment more polluted in winter.

Traffic congestion has increased in Nepal. Shankar Prasad Poudel, information officer of the environment department, says that public transport should be given priority over increasing private vehicles as the smoke from it will also increase air pollution. Arrangements should be made to immediately seize the vehicle that emits smoke and send it to the workshop or not to allow it to run.

He says that the sources of pollution are increasing in winter and air pollution is also increasing due to humanitarian reasons. "Brick kilns are now operational. In this season, many people burn firewood to heat the fire. The smoke also pollutes the air," says Tuladhar. Even air pollution increases in winter months.

In this way pollution can be reduced

"We know that burning air pollution is one of the main sources of air pollution, so we need to start a massive campaign to discourage it," he said. Similarly, traffic congestion has increased in Nepal. Shankar Prasad Poudel, information officer of the environment department, says that public transport should be given priority over increasing private vehicles as the smoke from it will also increase air pollution. Arrangements should be made to immediately seize the vehicle that emits smoke and send it to the workshop or not to allow it to run.

Measures should also be taken to reduce industrial fumes. Poudel said that there is a high possibility of forest fires in winter season and caution should be exercised.

Health is bad, so be careful

In cold weather, dust particles get stuck in the soil and it gets heavy and falls below the atmosphere. So the more the winter grows, the more the pollution level goes down. There is a lot of pollution in Kathmandu Valley in the morning and evening. Pollution is also exacerbated by dust particles that are invisible to the naked eye and the smoke from the garbage we burn. These fumes contain many chemicals that affect our body.

Which affects our heart and circulatory system, says Dr. Khem Bahadur Karki, a public health expert. "About 70 to 72 percent of heart problems are caused by air pollution," he said.

Pollution causes not only long term but also immediate health problems. Problems such as burning eyes, sore throat and popping, itchy skin are seen due to dust. Contaminated pollutants contain dust particles in the air when inhaled, which travel through the lungs to various parts of the body.

Pollution also increases the risk of lung, respiratory, chronic asthma and cancer problems. All of these are long-term health effects of air pollution. If children are exposed to pollution from an early age, the lungs may not develop properly. Pollution also affects their mental development. According to Karki, due to pollution, children's comprehension and sharpening ability may be reduced.

Air pollution causes not only long term but also immediate health problems. Problems such as burning eyes, sore throat and popping, itchy skin are seen due to dust. Contaminated pollutants contain dust particles in the air we breathe, which travel through the lungs to different parts of the body and cause various problems in the body, says Karki.

All of these are direct effects of environmental pollution. The effects of climate change on environmental pollution are many. Take, for example, the recent Melamchi floods. Pollution caused climate change, and climate change caused heavy rainfall to occur. Therefore, Dr. Karki concludes that air pollution has short-term and long-term effects.

Dr. Raju Pangeni, a chest specialist, said that it would be better not to walk in the morning and evening as the pollution would increase due to cold in the morning and evening. "Everyone is wearing a mask now because of Corona. He advised to use N95 mask as much as possible to keep it going.

There are two main types of air pollution. Outdoor pollution and another indoor pollution. Dr. Pangeni says that the smoke coming out of the house and the smoke from burning wood and cigarettes also affects the health and it should be reduced. He said that the use of smoke emitting vehicles should be reduced and public transport should be given priority instead of increasing the number of private vehicles.