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Kathmandu, the federal capital of Nepal, has been ranked the world's most polluted city again.

According to the data of the Air Quality Index today, Kathmandu's overall AQI has reached 162 while Chiang Mai city of Thailand is in the second position and Medan of Indonesia has been identified as the world's third most polluted city.

According to the people concerned, air pollution is soaring in Kathmandu due to rising incidents of forest fire amidst the increasing temperature.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, today, recorded 165 incidents of forest fire in 39 districts across the country.

According to wildfire expert Sundar Sharma, the increasing number of forest fires has contributed to air pollution in major cities of the country including the federal capital.  If there is no rainfall in the next few days, it will be challenging to contain the forest fire and reduce air pollution, according to him.

Meteorologist Govinda Jha said there are no chances of rainfall immediately despite a brief rain in some parts.

Disaster management expert Dr Dharma Raj Upreti said AQI from 0-50 is considered good for public health as it is indicated by a green signal while 51-100 is moderate and marked by yellow, but it still warns us to be careful on time.

It is unhealthy specifically for sensitive groups such as those who have respiratory and cardiac issues if measured from 101-150 and is highlighted by orange. 

Similarly, AQI from 151-200 is indicated by red to suggest that it is unhealthy for all, 201-300 is highlighted by purple and it is very unhealthy.  If it is measured 301-400, it is hazardous and 401-500 is highly hazardous and they are denoted by maroon.

Air Quality Management Action Plan for the Kathmandu Valley, 2076 BS considers the situation measuring AQI above 300 as a disaster.

An elderly couple died in a fire that broke out at a house in Ghattekhole, Purandanda, Thakre Rural Municipality-5, Dhading on Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as Tej Bahadur Lama (70) and his wife Thuli Lama (70), SP Gautam KC, Chief at the District Police Office, Dhading said.

“We got the information about the incident at around 11:30 pm yesterday. When a team from the temporary police post, Hapsechaur and the Area Police Office, Khanikhola reached the incident site, they had already breathed their last,” SP KC said.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said weather now is partly cloudy in the hilly areas and fair in remaining parts of the country.

The partial influence of westerly wind and local wind is still continuing in the country, the Department said, adding weather will witness partial changes in the hilly areas of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces while it will be partly fair in remaining areas this afternoon.

There is a possibility of light rain with thunderstorms and lightning at one to two places of hilly areas in Koshi and Gandaki provinces.

There is a chance of light snowfall at one or two places of the high hilly and mountainous region of Koshi province. Likewise, gusty winds are predicted to occur at some places of Koshi, Madhes and Lumbini provinces.

The weather will be partly cloudy in the hilly region and fair in the rest of the country tonight. In the next 24 hours, there is a chance of light rain with thunder and lightning at one or two places of the hilly regions of Koshi and Gandaki provinces.

In view of thunderstorms in some places of Koshi, Madhes and Lumbini provinces and its possible impacts on daily life, the Department has urged the people to take necessary precautions in the areas.

Police have arrested four persons including two Indian nationals for their alleged involvement in stealing over Rs 10. 34 million on Sunday night.

Police said that they have also recovered some cash of the total amount stolen from the bank.

Two Nepali nationals were apprehended from Rautahat and two from Ghodasahan of India.

According to a police source, one remaining person of the group involved in the theft is on the run and search for him is underway.

The arrestees have been identified as Sanjay Jayaswal and Chote Jayaswal of Pathara Budharam, Maulapur Municipality-7, Rautahat and Mantu Paswan and Lalan Kumar of Ghodasahan, East Champaran District, Bihar.

Police arrested Sanjay and Chote from Maulapur, Rautahat on Tuesday evening. Police nabbed the duo while they were heading towards Kathmandu in a night bus.

Both of them have been kept at the District Police Office, Parsa.

Similarly, Indian police detained Mantu and Lalan from Ghodasahan.

They are currently in the custody of Indian police.

According to a preliminary investigation, they had booked a room at the Naya Bus Park-based Ranipokhari Hotel in Birgunj in the name of Chote Lal Jayaswal and stayed there on Sunday before robbing the bank.

DSP Kumar Bikram Thapa, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Parsa, however, said that only two Nepali nationals were rounded up on suspicion of their involvement in the incident.

“So far, we have arrested two Nepali nationals. Their identities cannot be disclosed due to security reasons. We have got information that Indian police have also arrested a person in India also,” he said.

DSP Thapa confirmed that the police team recovered some cash of the total amount stolen from the bank .

Nabil Bank branch manager Bijay Paudel said that the incident occurred due to their sheer negligence as they did not keep a security guard in the bank during the night time.

In the video recorded in the CCTV camera, a group of four to five persons were seen entering the bank at Bypass Road in Birgunj by breaking the bolt of the main gate and decamping with the money, putting it in a sack.

According to branch manager Paudel, more than Rs 50 million was kept in the metal safe inside the bank’s vault.

But the thieves stole the money kept only in the tin box.