Naya Patrika: 23 April 2026
https://www.nayapatrikadaily.com/news-details/193445/2026-04-23
Unofficial Translation by NFMC Nepal:
Dust already floating in the air from dry conditions has now mixed with wildfire smoke, pushing Kathmandu’s pollution to dangerous levels. On Wednesday evening, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 255, making Kathmandu one of the most polluted cities in the world. According to World Health Organization standards, an AQI above 250 is considered very unhealthy for human health.
The online portal “pollution.gov.np”, run by the Department of Environment to track air pollution, also shows high pollution levels across the Kathmandu Valley, surrounding hills, and the Tarai plains. Govinda Lamichhane, an environment inspector at the Department of Environment, said that wildfire smoke mixing with already high pollution from dry weather has covered Kathmandu’s sky in haze. Pollution had also risen in February but dropped after rainfall in the weeks that followed.
Meteorologist Rojan Lamichhane of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that rising temperatures and a lack of rainfall across the country have led to more fire incidents, which in turn has pushed pollution higher. Data from NASA’s MODIS satellite shows intense wildfires burning in forests across the western Tarai. Fires have been spotted in 309 locations across 28 districts.
Among them, Dang has the highest count with 46 fires, followed by Salyan with 29, and Bardiya, Banke, and Chitwan each with 23. “Fires have increased in the western region, and their smoke is clearly reaching Kathmandu,” said meteorologist Lamichhane. “For Kathmandu’s pollution to drop, there needs to be rainfall or strong winds. There is no active weather system right now, which is why the haze persists.” He added that there is a chance of light rain in hilly areas this coming Friday.
वर्षा नहुनाले वायुमण्डलमा धुलो तैरिरहेका वेला डढेलोको धुवाँ पनि मिसिएपछि प्रदूषित भएकाे छ काठमाडौं । बुधबार साँझ एयर क्वालिटी इन्डेक्स (वायुको गुणस्तर) २५५ पुगेर काठमाडौं विश्वकै प्रदूषित सहर बनेको छ । विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठनको मापदण्डअनुसार एक्युआई २५० भन्दा माथि पुग्नु मानव स्वास्थ्यका लागि निकै अस्वस्थकर मानिन्छ ।
वातावरण विभागको वायु प्रदूषणको अवस्थाको अभिलेख राख्ने अनलाइन पोर्टल ‘पोलुसन–जिओभि–डट–एनपी’ हेर्दा पनि काठमाडौं उपत्यका, खोँच र तराईमा प्रदूषण उच्च देखिन्छ । मौसम सुक्खा हुँदा प्रदूषणको मात्रा बढिरहेका बेला डढेलोको धुवाँ पनि मिसिएकाले काठमाडौंको आकाश तुवाँलोले ढाकेको वातावरण विभागका वातावरण निरीक्षक गोविन्द लामिछानेले बताए । फागुनमा पनि प्रदूषण बढेको थियो । तर, यो बिचमा पानी पर्दा घटेको थियो ।
देशभर तापक्रम बढेको र वर्षा हुन नसकेकाले आगलागीका घटना बढिरहेका वेला प्रदूषण पनि बढेको जल तथा मौसम विज्ञान विभागका मौसमविद् रोजन लामिछानेले बताए । नासाको मोडिज भूउपग्रहको तथ्यांकले पश्चिम तराईका वनजंगलमा अत्यधिक डढेलो देखाउँछ । २८ जिल्लाका ३०९ ठाउँमा डढेलो देखिन्छ ।
जसमध्ये सबैभन्दा बढी दाङमा ४६, सल्यानमा २९ तथा बर्दिया, बाँके र चितवनमा २३–२३ ठाउँमा छ । ‘पश्चिम क्षेत्रमा डढेलो बढेको छ, यसको धुवाँ पनि काठमाडौं आएको देखिन्छ,’ मौसमविद् लामिछानेले भने, ‘काठमाडौंको प्रदूषण घट्न वर्षा वा ठुलो हावा चल्नुपर्छ । अहिले एक्टिभ सिस्टम छैन, त्यही भएर तुवाँलो देखिन्छ ।’ उनका अनुसार आगामी शुक्रबार पहाडी क्षेत्रमा हल्का वर्षाको सम्भावना छ ।