The quality of air in Pokhara metropolis, long known for its pristine natural beauty, is deteriorating by the day. The major contributors to air pollution in Pokhara are vehicle exhaust, incineration of plastic wastes and wildfire. According to Shankar Prasad Poudel, the information officer of the Department of Environ­ment, smoke rather than dust is the main air-pollutant in Pokhara. Smoke is considered more harmful to human health compared to dust.

 

“But the level of air pollution we see in Pokhara is still less compared to other urban cen­ters in Nepal like Kathmandu, Lumbini and some cities in Tarai-Madhes,” Poudel said.

 

According to the govern­ment’s benchmark based on the Environment Protection Rules (1997), ambient air should have no more than 40 g/m³ of particulate mat­ter (PM 2.5). These days the level of PM 2.5 in Pokhara often crosses that level. The level is particularly high (twice as much as recommended) between September-October and December-January peri­ods. Likewise, pollution is also high around March-April, largely due to wildfires.