Country reeling under rising heat and pollution, immediate rainfall unlikely

Kathmandu: The country has started to reel under rising heat and pollution, affecting daily life both in villages and cities.

Temperature and pollution have risen across the country due to wildfires, unsystematic development and drought in more than 40 districts of the country.

Most of the air pollution measuring stations in Kathmandu Valley have recorded that the air is being polluted day by day. In Bhaktapur and Patan of Lalitpur, the air quality index AQI had exceeded 200, making air very harmful for health. Similarly, air quality in Kirtipur, Ratnapark, Madhyapur Thimi, Hetauda and Dhankuta is also unhealthy.

If the AQI is more than 50, the group with poor health is at risk. while the AQI above 100 is considered harmful for everyone. If AQI remains between 51 and 100, it is regarded as normal and above that limit is unhealthy.

If it rains, pollution recedes to some extent. However, the possibility of immediate rainfall looks unlikely, the Meteorological Forecasting Division said.

According to the Division, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces at present have seen partial to general changes in weather. In rest of the areas, there is partial change, with clear weather in few places.

The weather in some hilly places this afternoon will be partly cloudy with clean sky in rest of the places. Light or partial rainfall is likely to occur in few hilly places of Koshi province and in one or more places in the rest of the hilly region, with accompanying thunder and lightning.

There is a possibility of windstorm in a few places of the Terai. The weather tonight will be partly cloudy in the hilly region and generally fair in the rest of the country.

Likewise, light to moderate rain accompanied by thunder and lightning is likely to occur at one or two places of the hilly region of Koshi Province tonight.