WorldNepal has forced 2,500 old vehicles off roads in its capital city of Kathmandu, part of a fight against alarming air pollution levels that have hit nine times World Health Organisation (WHO) limits. Air pollution has been a chronic problem in rapidly growing Kathmandu, which sits in a Himalayan valley and is home to more than three million people. “It is a very serious problem, which poses a threat to people's health,” said Khem Bahadur Karki, head of state-run Nepal Health Research Council. “Around 30 percent of respiratory illnesses are contributed by outdoor air pollution,” Karki said, referring to a recent council study. Activists cite a WHO estimate that outdoor air pollution causes nearly 10,000 deaths in Nepal every year, a bigger toll than a devastating 2015 earthquake.

Source: Sunday Times March 01, 2017 12:36 UTC