Nepal’s air quality is worst in the world: EPI report
Jan 25, 2018 (The Kathmandu Post)
Air quality in Nepal is the worst in the world, with the country being ranked at the bottom among the 180 countries surveyed in terms of air-quality in a global study.
The latest global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) was released on Tuesday by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. The EPI report ranks the countries on 24 indicators across 10 categories, covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. Environmental health also includes two other components of water and sanitation and exposure to heavy metals.
Nepal was ranked the last for air-quality among 180 countries, according to the EPI report which highlighted air pollution as a leading threat to public health.
The report had measured Household solid fuels, PM2.5 exposures and PM2.5 exceedance for measuring air quality of countries included in the study.
With the score of 3.94, Nepal’s air quality has been reported worse than other countries in the region like Pakistan (176th), China (177th), India (178th) and Bangladesh (179th). Australia secured the highest ranking for clean air while the United States ranked 10th.
Nearly all countries at the lower end of the global rankings for poor air quality are from Africa or Asia, said the report. The report also showed Nepal’s overall performance as “poor” in terms of environmental performance index, leaving it at the bottom of the pile.
- 1. Switzerland 87.42
- 2. France 83.95
- 3. Denmark 81.60
- 4. Malta 80.90
- 5. Sweden 80.51
- 176. Nepal 31.44
- 177. India 30.57
- 178. DR Congo 30.41
- 178. Bangladesh 29.56
- 180. Burundi 27.43
Published: 25-01-2018 07:30 Jan 25, 2018 (The Kathmandu Post)
| AQI | Air Pollution Level | Health Implications |
| 0 – 50 | Good | Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk |
| 51 -100 | Moderate | Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. |
| 101-150 | Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. |
| 151-200 | Unhealthy | Everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects |
| 201-300 | Very Unhealthy | Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. |
| 300+ | Hazardous | Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects |
Source of Info: http://aqicn.org/map/nepal/#@g/27.4457/85.3259/13z
