Forest fires in surrounding districts make Kathmandu world’s most polluted city

There are incidents of fire in a half of the country’s forests, officials say, putting human health, wildlife at great risk.

For the past couple of days, Sundar Sharma has been suffering from wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. Sharma, who is an under-secretary at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority and also an expert on forest fires, blamed the deteriorating air quality, caused by massive forest fires, for his worsening asthma.