strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu-20air-2941e5618766b113.pdf

This policy brief describes the air pollution challenges in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, focusing on the health risks associated with particulate matter and chemical pollutants. It introduces the Programme for Rapid Evaluation of air Pollution (PREPair) as a tool for deriving low-cost, viable solutions and recommends a series of transport and industrial interventions to improve air quality.

• Air pollutants of primary concern in the Kathmandu Valley include benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations exceed WHO guideline values by a factor of 2 to 10, creating a serious risk for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
• The composition of particulate matter in the Kathmandu Valley is particularly dangerous because a large fraction of PM10 consists of fine particles (PM2.5 and PM1.0), with ratios of 0.8-0.9.
• Air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley leads to significant health burdens, including an estimated 1,600 premature deaths annually due to PM10 exposure. Additionally, benzene exposure is expected to cause leukaemia in 1-8 people per 100,000, and PAH exposure is expected to cause lung cancer in 16-32 people per 100,000.
• Road transport and re-suspended dust from poorly maintained roads are the primary sources of PM10 in the Kathmandu Valley, accounting for approximately 63 percent of all PM10 emissions. Other significant contributors include agriculture and brick kilns.
• The Programme for Rapid Evaluation of air Pollution (PREPair), developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), provides a framework for implementing low-cost and realizable actions to combat air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu-20air-2941e5618766b113.pdf. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu%20air.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu-20air-2941e5618766b113.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu%20air.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu-20air-2941e5618766b113.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu%20air.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendstrategicapproachairpollutionkathmandu20air2941e5618766b113pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu-20air-2941e5618766b113.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/strategic-approach-airpollution-kathmandu%20air.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }