With the advent of monsoon from last week, outdoor valley-life has become greatly affected with mobility outdoors becoming increasingly inconvenient. Muddy and slippery roads triggered by sporadic rains have made vehicular movement difficult. However, the monsoon has brought a blessing to the valley-dwellers. They have been able to breathe cleaner air. The week-long monsoon has improved air quality in the valley. According to air quality monitored from June 22 to 28 by the six air quality monitoring stations around the valley, the level of particulate matter (PM) 10, major and the most dangerous solid air pollutant in the valley, has considerably gone down following the frequent rains last week. PM10 is solid dust particles with diameter less than or equal to 10 micrometer.

It is very hazardous to human health as it is very small and remains suspended in the air for a long time and easily goes into the lungs. The rising level of the pollutant has been a matter of serious concern in the valley. Hospital studies have already shown growing health damage to the people of the valley. According to the results, PM10 was recorded as low as 82 micrograms per cubic meter at Putalisadak station, which is based on a roadside background, less than the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for the pollutant. The NAAQS for PM10 is 120 microgram per cubic meter. Anything exceeding this standard is harmful to human health.

It was recorded as high as 365 micrograms per cubic meter before the monsoon. Similarly, the station at Patan Hospital, which has also a roadside background, recorded less than the NAAQS standard for PM10. Only on Friday and Sunday, the level of PM10 slightly crossed the NAAQS level. The level of PM10 used recorded as high as 368 micrograms per cubic meter before the monsoon.

Likewise, the air quality monitoring stations set by the government with the support from DANIDA early this year, at Tribhuvan University and Matsyagaon, which have valley background, and Bhaktapur have shown the level of PM10 much less than the NAAQS. Even the station at Thamel, which monitors air quality of residential area, has recorded less than the NAAQS, which used to be more than two times higher than the standard. "This is all due to the start of rainy season in the valley," said Chiranjibi Gautum, advisor of Urban Environment and Air Quality Management at Environment Sector Program Support, a DANIDA supported project. "As it rains, particulate matters settle down resulting in the decrease of the level of the pollutant".

OTHER NEWS

• Everest summiteer journalist felicitated in home district: Solukhumbu District Development Committee (DDC) and Young Star Club, a local club separately felicitated Ang Chhiring Sherpa, the first South Asian Journalist to scale Mt. Everest, amidst grand celebrations at Solu Salleri recently. At the program that coincided with the 'Social Mobilization Day', Sharada Prasad Adhikari, the Local Development Officer (LDO), on behalf of the DDC honored journalist Sherpa by wrapping a shawl around him amidst the thundering applause of teachers, students, employees and other locals present on the occasion.
  
  
• 'Rebuild image to attract tourists': Foreign diplomats have said that the continued political instability and the escalation of Maoists violence in recent past have eroded Nepal's image as a good tourist destination. Speaking at a program on Monday, diplomats from major tourists generating countries like India, the United States, Germany and the UK, among others, stressed that peace and stability were the minimum requirement for travelers. "However, there had been precious little of both in Nepal for quite a few years," they said.
  
  
• Chinese Embassy to issue visa for Tibet: The Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu started issuing visas from 30th June for the tourists wanting to visit Tibetan Autonomous Region, according to an embassy official. The local government in Tibet lifted the ban on tourists after the World Health Organization declared China Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-free, said Cheng Ji, the Political and Press Secretary at the embassy. The ban on tourists was imposed after SARS spread in China.
  
  
• Infrastructure development stressed for tourism promotion: Participants at a seminar held here recently stressed on a need to repair the damaged roads and maintain the airport facilities to promote the tourism in the eastern district of Taplejung. "The district possesses several tourist attractions like Kanchanjanga, the third largest mountain in the world, among others. However, most of these spots are yet to be linked as a final tourist destinations due to bad conditions of the roads and poor state of airport," said they.
  
  
  

By Hari Shrestha, Resident Representative in Kathmandu