Everything you need to know about Kathmandu’s haze and its causes

Forest fires in Nepal have turned central Nepal’s sky into a hazy din as a yellow tone is constant as if it were an Instagram filter. In the past month alone, there have been over 500 forest fires in nearly 60 districts across the country . From the lower plains of Mahottari to the high hills of Manang, forests in Nepal have been burning constantly since late November 2020 as 73 out of 77 districts have seen forest fires.

As a result, a thick dense smog has engulfed a major part of central Nepal, due to which the air quality in major cities of the region is getting worse day by day. The air quality index (AQI) in Kathmandu has continuously been over 300 while cities like Pokhara, Birgunj, Hetauda and Butwal have seen their AQI marks over 200 on a regular basis in the past week. AQI in all these cities in the past week has even crossed the 400-mark, some even getting as high as 600, which falls under the severely polluted category.