A strategic approach for air pollution reduction in Kathmandu valley
Over the past two decades the issue of air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley has become of increasing concern as concentrations of ambient air pollution exceed international air quality guidelines and standards. The steady growth in road traffic has resulted in the increasing contribution of vehicle emissions to urban air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The serious air pollution challenges in Kathmandu Valley call for rapid approaches to assess the problem and derive solutions which are politically viable, low-cost and realizable in a step-wise way.