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The Air Quality Monitoring Station at Ratna Park shows that all four parameters of air pollution—PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 and Total Suspended Particulate (TSP)—have recorded a continuous increment. The smog that shrouds the Valley in the form of greenhouse effect can be seen from the hilltop of Nagarkot. As a result, the number of patients suffering heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute respiratory infection has been swelling. An estimated 10,000 people die each year of diseases due to inhaling fine particulate matter which is the number one preventable cause of death. Children aged less than five years exposed to air pollutants are the most vulnerable population group, and pneumonia and asthma have been identified as causes of death. Babies are also born with birth defects. A study conducted by SEI/University of York indicates that ‘early exposure to air pollution can also cause damaging changes in the brain like autism and schizophrenia, and also affect short-term memory, learning ability and impulsivity’. The situation demands that the Ministry of Health coordinate with the concerned ministries and departments and prod them to implement air pollution control measures.
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