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Be selfish for yourself or become an inspiration for your children.

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This is a graph showing Kathmandu's PM 2.5 levels during December 2019.

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There were 20 days with smog. During that time I was attending classes and going to and fro from home to school on the bus. Looking over this graph, again and again, I try to recall the feelings and impressions I had at that time. But I can't remember properly. At that time and still now many people don't take air pollution or the topic I'm talking about today, "smog" seriously.

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Before I talk about what smog is, let us know what is PM 2.5. Those are tiny particles with aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 microns. They have the ability to be refracted by large amounts of visible light and leave us in a world of poor visibility. But I can't see them, because the naked eye can only see microparticles 20 times their size. In other words, this is a war against an invisible enemy.

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I'm PM 2.5. I have many brothers.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, andother kinds of heavy metal.

Everyone has a weapon.

In this video game where we attack humans, we never lose.

Stage one: the nostril

Your nasal hair and mucus can keep out foreign bodies.

90% of micro particles with dimensions greater than 10 microns die here.

But they can't stop me.

Stage 2 the throat (snort)

Cilium of the upper respiratory tract destroy large particulate matter in a flash,

But my body is slim and graceful.

Your trachea involuntarily contracts trying to stop me

How embarrassing!

Stage 3: the lower respiratory tract

It is like a tree growing upside down in here

We zoom through the bronchial tubes like it's a downhill course

All along the way we fight hand to hand with white blood cells and lymphocytes in a free for all

Inciting every imaginable type of inflammation

Most of our squad eventually reaches the pulmonary alveolus.

You have more than 300 million of them

Once we get in there it is impossible to catch your breath

But here we meet the macrophages, our most powerful adversaries.

They love to gobble us up and are known as the body’s street sweepers

It’s an all-out battle!

But we are too many and, we are protected by the toxins of the heavy metals

The macrophages can't digest us and are easily defeated

This is how we destroy your immunity

We have another group of warriors smaller than 0.5 microns in diameter

They can pass through the membrane of the pulmonary alveolus and plants themselves into the bloodstream, causing damage to the blood vessels inner membrane

The vessels narrows which causes high blood pressure and blood clots

We can even pass through your circulatory system until we arrive at its most vital organ

And launch and offensive attack against your heart

We can cause coronary disease and irregular heartbeat and finally a heart attack

Tremble humans

For I am in

Your every breath

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Smog is a kind of air pollution, originally named for the mixture of smoke and fog in the air. Causes of Smog: Major causes of smog are coal burning, vehicular emissions, industrial emissions, forest or agricultural fires, photochemical reactions, or other natural causes like volcano eruption, etc. Major Components of Smog: Nitrogen Oxides, Sulphur Oxides, Ground Ozone, Smoke, Carbon Monoxide, CFCs, Dust Particles

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1.Inflammation & irritation of respiratory system, Coughing, Wheezing, Pain when inhaling deeply
2. Eye, nose, or throat irritation
3. Increasing susceptibility to illness
4. Long term exposure poses a great risk of Cancer & Premature Death
5. Birth defects, the low birth rate
6. Alzheimer risk

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1.Children
2.Senior Citizens
3.People with heart, lung or allergic conditions

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1.Use a face mask when going outdoors

2.Keep windows and doors shut

3.Keep yourself hydrated

4.Wash your hands frequently

5.Don’t rub your eyes, nose, or mouth with unclean hands

6.In the case of eye irritation, wash them

7.Restrict outdoor activities for children and seniors

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1.Restrict agricultural fires
2.Reduce vehicular emissions with proper vehicle maintenance
3.Use public transport instead of personal vehicles
4.Install pollution control systems in industries
5.Don’t burn any kind of trash
6.Heal the planet by reducing overall pollution
7.Grow more trees
8.Share this message with others

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Which is more dangerous? COVID-19? Or Air Pollution?

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Which is more dangerous? COVID-19? Or Air Pollution?

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A post made by Nepali times on October 21, 2020, says that “In the past eight months of this year, 791 people have died in Nepal from Covid-19. In the whole of 2019, air pollution directly killed 42,100 people in the country. Even before the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) was already warning that poor air quality in the Indo-Gangetic plains that includes a part of the Terai in Nepal was already the reducing average lifespan of tens of millions of people by 3.7 years.”

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This table shows our coal consumption in 2016: 283,303 tons. And that was only in 2016.

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And what quality we use? This is what we see when we think of coal. 

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And what quality we use? This is what we see when we think of coal. 

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And this?

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Is this coal? It looks like wood doesn’t it? But I came to find that this is really coal. It’s called lignite or brown coal. And it’s the world’s youngest coal and is very low quality. As it's burned, half will turn to black ash and rise into the atmosphere. And we also use Sub- Bituminous Grade coal, a type of coal slightly better than lignite.  Lignite itself doesn't necessarily have to be dirty.Coal can be madeclean by washing them. Unwashed coal contains the highly toxic and wasteful substance called ash.In recent years, our heavy reliance on coal consumption has resulted in more poor quality coal being used. This coal isn’t cleaned and emissions aren’t properly controlled.

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In addition to pollution from coal, we must still account for pollution from oil. A vast majority of oil is burned by automobiles. Data have shown that in 2000/1, the number of registered vehicles was 24,003 and by 2015/16 it has increased to 7, 79,822. This shows an increment by more than 32 times in one and a half-decade. Here’s what that means. Motorized vehicles are the largest source of Kathmandu’s localized pollution.

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So then more cars lead to pollution? Aren’t there more cars in Tokyo than in Kathmandu? Why don’t we see severe pollution there? This is because more than 90% of Tokyo residents take rapid transport. Less than 6% drive their own cars and bikes. And in Nepal? Almost all the people who own their own vehicle drive once a week. And it’s basically jammed in the city. Cars emit twice as much exhaust when they are idle in traffic. Step on the brakes and heavy metal emissions rise. So every day during rush hour in Kathmandu, how much PM 2.5 is emitted per hour? About one ton.

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“Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause many of the health conditions associated with increased vulnerability to Covid-19, such as diabetes and chronic heart and lung diseases,” says the State of Global Air 2020 released on Wednesday. Air pollution accounted for 6.7 million deaths globally, 2.1 million in South Asia, and nearly 42,100 deaths in Nepal in 2019 alone. Nepal ranks among the top 10 countries with the highest PM2.5 concentrations.

We keep hearing that Nepal is a developing country, and environmental protection is a luxury not afforded to us, but more often than not, those most affected by pollution are the poorest. They are most likely to be harmed. They are in most need of having a voice. They are in most need of help.

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The Great Smog of London and the lesson it taught us

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The Great Smog of London and the lesson it taught us

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London once was covered with smog all over the place. It was so thick that you could barely see your surroundings. This event was called the great smog of London. Government medical reports in the following weeks estimated that up to 8 December, 4,000 people had died as a direct result of the smog and 100,000 more were made ill by the smog's effects on the human respiratory tract. This was a wakeup call to the UK. Within the first ten years that London started to tackle their pollution, they reduced pollutants by 80%. The UK used oil and natural gas, cleaner natural energy sources, especially natural gases to replace coal and clear their skies. London’s experience tells us, Nepal needs to leave behind coal and embrace oil and natural gas. Only then we will have cleaner air. So, what is the key to solving Nepal’s pollution? Reform the energy system. But while we wait for the country to build and improve a huge energy system, what can we actually do? Even the world's most powerful government can't solve pollution on its own.It must rely on ordinary citizens like you and me. On our choices. On our determination. 

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If you are travelling within 5km, try to take public transportation, ride a bike, or carpool.

If you drive, don’t keep the engine idle for more than 30 seconds.

If you see a diesel truck emitting black exhaust, try calling the phone no. of Department of Transport Management,  01-4474921 to report it.

The black tails” behind diesel trucks contain large amounts of PM 2.5 and harm public health.

If you see a restaurant spewing out black smoke, try asking them to install a filtering device or leave them a negative rating online.

If you see dust flying from uncovered mounds of dirt at construction sites, or suspect a gas station is leaking oil and gas, try calling 01-4474921.

If you burn coal at home, if you can afford it, try to the best of your ability to avoid poor quality coal.

Ask your mother to clean the cooking range to keep your family healthy.

You can also take photos to help locate sources of industrial pollution, supervise and report illegal activity to your local environmental bureau.

Pay attention to list of polluters and boycott their products.

When environmental policies and regulations are being drafted or amended, take part in public commenting and get your voice heard.

Through a little thought and care, our skies will begin to clear.

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According to the State of Global Air 2019 report, air pollution may shorten the life span of children in Kathmandu by 2.5 years. Data from the UN health body indicates every day, children under the age of 15 breathe dangerously polluted air. Children are most vulnerable to the impact of air pollution as their rapid breathing absorbs more pollutants at the time when their bodies and brains are still developing. According to the World Health Organization, every year 600,000 Children under the age of 15 are killed due to exposure to toxic air.

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When the smog gets really bad, there’s at least one thing we can all do.
And that’s to protect yourself and those you love.
Right now thousands upon thousands of children are about to enter this world or are taking their first breaths.
These rivers, the sky, the earth, all should belong to them.
We have no right to consume without self-control.
We have the right to complain without contribution.
But we do have the responsibility to prove to them that the world, which is enlightened by all sorts of energy, can be clean and beautiful, at the same time.
When I look at the Milky Way, seeing this lonely planet orbiting.
I feel a kind of indescribable attachment and warmth.
There will come a day when I will leave this world.
But my siblings and children to come will still be here, and this world will still be of importance to me.
And so I gaze upon it, just as I gaze upon my sister and brother.
And so I protect it, just as I protect them.

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Main Source: Documentary : Under the Dome by Chai Jing

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Main Source: Documentary : Under the Dome by Chai Jing

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The full documentary is here: https://youtu.be/V5bHb3ljjbc
Part 1 is here: https://youtu.be/MhIZ50HKIp0
Part 2 is here: http://youtu.be/ZKxnQxyOXfI
Part 3 is here: http://youtu.be/BXMZpF0K1ME
Part 4 is here: http://youtu.be/H2OQf213gv4
Part 5 is here: http://youtu.be/Zvj8ITg7P7o
Part 6 is here: http://youtu.be/I5j3wEcJUf8
Part 7 is here: http://youtu.be/kWevACWky1w
Part 8 is here: http://youtu.be/XaXk9SqbZVg

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Sub Sources : Data, Pictures, Videos, etc.

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Sub Sources : Data, Pictures, Videos, etc.

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Data:
https://aqicn.org/city/nepal/kathmandu/us-embassy/
https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/double-whammy-air-pollution-and-covid-19/
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2018/1504591/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog_of_London

Videos:
https://youtu.be/2bcYbIA1YJE
https://youtu.be/eakKwhyWVOw
https://youtu.be/yJ9uyEoggpU
https://youtu.be/OHf2qtCo8WY
https://youtu.be/I7mOhjnF5XM

Pictures:
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/view-traffic-jam-day-time-kathmandu-nepal-crowded-traffic-jam-road-city-kathmandu-nepal-october-view-traffic-119882243.jpg
https://www.facebook.com/cleanupnepal/photos/major-contributor-to-air-pollution-in-kathmandu-valley-is-vehicular-emission-the/4030878113650143/
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/watercolor-social-media-icons_3279570.htm
https://pix.avax.news/avaxnews/d2/44/000444d2_medium.jpeg
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCoyj_oN8HV6X7EBOwrzQrEqFS4Rwdhvs5-w&usqp=CAU
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/84/26/67/842667f2e5465a6a3060d9963cd74530.jpg

Music
https://youtu.be/v0e8He2ZRxg
https://youtu.be/uIFFF8p11Hk
https://youtu.be/FjHGZj2IjBk
https://youtu.be/Xx_uq7a6DCk

The original idea for Dustmandu: https://youtu.be/j0hSlWAvbSI

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https://my.visme.co/templates/WUkwN29uMldQVkFqNVpjQ3B5ZGQvdz09OjreF4HceOGw5PlLNu3og7Zu/createProject#/presentations
https://www.animaker.com/
https://www.animaker.com/