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Thirty people were killed in various parts of the country due to disasters in the month of Chaitra (March 14 to April 13). 

Sixteen men, 10 women and four children died in natural disasters including fire, storm, lightning and snowfall. Two hundred and twenty-two people have been injured due to natural disasters during that period, according to police. 

It is reported that 191 houses, 117 animal shelters, and three government offices have been damaged, while 529 livestock have died. 

The estimated loss from the disaster is Rs 337. 26 million. 

A total of 143 people have been displaced by the disaster. 

During this period, 272 disaster incidents were reported in Koshi, 136 in Madhes, 85 in Bagmati, 39 in the Kathmandu Valley, 95 in Gandaki, 129 in Lumbini, 57 in Karnali and 93 in Sudurpashchim Province.

Police spokesperson Avi Narayan Kafle said that 4,841 police personnel were deployed for disaster response.

Air pollution has increased in Kathmandu Valley. Air quality, which had improved after rainfall, has declined to 'very unhealthy' level all of sudden.  

The Air Quality Index (AQI) had reached around 92 on Tuesday afternoon and it was 247 till 11 am today. It is said that it might affect people's health. 

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good',  between 51 and 100 as 'moderate', between 101 and 150 as 'unhealthy',  between 151 and 200 as 'unhealthy for all', between 201 and 300 as 'very unhealthy' and above 300 as 'hazardous'.

Director General of Department of Environment, Gyan Raj Subedi, said insufficient rainfall, increasing drought, trend of burning agricultural residues, incidents of wildfire, have played a major role in increasing air pollution.

"Drought is increasing and sufficient rainfall has not occurred. It has contributed to accumulation of dust and smoke in the atmosphere," he mentioned.

Subedi shared that the bodies concerned have been urged for effective implementation of measures for sustainable and environment-friendly development. 

Similarly, Meteorologist at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Binu Maharjan, opined that there was no chance of adequate rainfall for the next three days and temperature would continue to rise. 

"The atmosphere will not be clean until rainfall which helps increase pollution," added Maharjan. 

Specifically, air pollution would affect children, senior citizens, heart patients and patients suffering from respiratory problems. 

People have been requested to avoid unnecessary movement and to wear masks.

Nepal is under the partial influence of westerly winds and local winds at present and as a result, the Himalayan region of the country will be generally cloudy, the Hilly region will be partly cloudy and the Tarai region will experience mainly fair weather today, according to the Weather Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain and snowfall accompanied with thunder and lightning at one or two places in the Himalayan regions of Koshi, Gandaki, and Karnali Provinces.

According to the Department, there is a chance of hot days in the Tarai regions of Madhesh Province, as well as in the valleys and basins of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Lumbini and Sudurpashchim Provinces. Heat wave conditions are likely in the Tarai regions of Lumbini and Sudurpashchim Provinces today. 

Later tonight, there is a possibility of a partly cloudy situation in the Himalayan and hilly regions of Koshi Province and the Himalayan regions of Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali Provinces, and the rest of the parts in the country will be mainly fair, the Department stated.

The Department has predicted the chances of light rain and snowfall in one or two places in the Himalayan region of the Koshi Province. 

The National Statistics Office has published the provincial-level results of the Nepal Multidimensional Survey 2081/82 amid a program held in Janakpur today.

The survey has shown that particularly in the Madhes Province, the situation of child mortality, malnutrition, adolescent girls fertility rate, and out-of-school children is more worrying compared to the national average.

According to the survey report, in Madhes Province the neonatal mortality rate is 20 per thousand live births and the under-five child mortality rate is 33, which is above the national average.

Similarly, the level of malnutrition also appears serious, with 23.2 percent of children being underweight for their age and 31.1 percent being stunted. 

Challenges have also been observed in the education sector in Madhesh Province. Here, 9.2 percent of children in grades 1–5, 8.2 percent in grades 6–8, and 22.6 percent in grades 9–12 are out of school. 

The participation rate in early childhood education programmes is only 26.3 percent.

Also, inequality has been found in access to health services. In Madhesh Province, only 70.4 percent of women have had four prenatal check-ups as recommended, while the number of people with health insurance is very low - only 6.6 percent for women and 3.9 percent for men.

In terms of reproductive health, the total fertility rate in Madhesh is 2.4, which is higher than the national average of 1.9. The adolescent (15–19 years) fertility rate is also high, recorded at 71 per 1000.

However, some positive aspects have also been observed.

 In Madhes, 98.5 percent of households have access to electricity, while 94.7 percent have telephone facilities.

Similarly, 78.9 percent of households are using devices that use the internet. 

Although the percentage of people using improved drinking water sources is high (99 percent), the report shows that it is concerning that E. coli bacteria were found in 65 percent of the water.

The National Statistics Office has expressed confidence that the data obtained from this survey will make a significant contribution to policy-making, planning, and monitoring of sustainable development goals.

This survey was conducted with the support of UNICEF Nepal.