Air Quality Monitoring Systems Installed in Kathmandu

“What is the synonym of Dust?” If you ask me, my immediate answer will be Kathmandu. The flake of brown dirt that you respirate each second justifies my answer. Well, it is not only our terrible experience that speaks the truth for us but also the data that shows the high level of air pollution in Kathmandu. The Government of Nepal along with US Embassy and ICIMOD recently inaugurated Air Quality Monitoring Systems in Kathmandu. The system was introduced on March 14 at Ratnapark and there are two stations here in Kathmandu and one in Dhulikhel monitoring the quality of air in and around the valley.

The air quality of Kathmandu has drastically deteriorated since January this year. It was reported to be three times more than the guided 2.5 microns. In this scenario, these air quality monitor systems may help to oversee the air quality and perhaps, reduce it.

US Embassy has also agreed to share the data from the embassy’s Maharajgunj and Kantipath-based stations with Department of Environment. The department has been monitoring data from stations at Ratnapark, Pulchowk, and Dhulikhel. The data from these stations are sent to the central server which then is automatically uploaded to government’s website www.pollution.gov.np.

These stations track air pollutant gasses like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and ozone in the air. They provide us accurate data about the level of air pollution in the valley. But, getting the data is not self-sufficient. The availability of data to the public allows the public to be informed about the situation, but nothing more. It is up to the Government and local bodies to come forward and take some solid actions regarding the data.

The data is available at www.pollution.gov.np and www.airnow.gov. Although the API is not public, some of our data hackers have already figured out the API endpoint: pollution.gov.np:8000/api/station/. If you’re a developer, you can use it to create some innovative applications based on the pollution data. Let us know if you do make something out of it 🙂

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