Expanding Air Pollution Monitoring in Nepal
An OpenAQ Community Impact Story by Matt Lane
Nepal is a fascinating country nestled between India and China. Its varied physiography includes the Terai lowlands in the south, which give way to the Chure Hills and culminate with the Himalayan mountain range on the northern border with China. It has rich biodiversity, including populations of Bengal tigers, rhinoceroses, red pandas, and snow leopards. Its diverse population of around 29 million consists of more than 80 unique ethnic groups who speak 120+ local languages and dialects. (Figure 1 below)
Air Pollution — a Devastating Health Crisis in Nepal
One may assume Nepal has clean, fresh air based on the presence of the majestic Himalayan mountain range. Unfortunately, on the contrary, Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley and Terai lowlands are air pollution hotspots. In these regions, PM2.5 averages exceed or greatly exceed 25 µg/m³ (which is 5 times or greater than World Health Organization guidelines, Figure 2 below). [1] As a result, Nepal is the 7th most polluted country in the world, according to IQAir. [2]
The hazardous air pollution levels have a devastating impact on the people of Nepal, causing an estimated 26,000 premature deaths each year. The polluted air is a major contributing factor to numerous afflictions, including pulmonary disease, stroke, heart disease, lower respiratory infections, lung cancer, and neonatal issues. [1]
A Difficult Problem Inhibited by Low Awareness and a Lack of Monitoring
I recently talked to Samip Sigdel (Green Decision Labs), Prakash Lama (Clean Energy Nepal), and Keshav Pokharel (Clean EnergyNepal) to learn more about what their organizations are doing to tackle this crisis in Nepal. (Figure 3 below)
As we start the discussion, they highlight that a key source of pollution is “transboundary” emissions, as southern Nepal sits in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, one of the most polluted regions in the world. [1] (Figure 4 below)
Further, they outline all the key internal contributing sources, namely industrial pollution, vehicle exhaust, agricultural burning, construction dust, brick kilns, and forest fires. Prakash goes on to explain how the conditions vary significantly by area, “The regions have very different dynamics. In Kathmandu, the winter months are severe[ly polluted] due to urban emissions and a thermal inversion effect where cool air traps pollutants near the ground. Whereas, in the hills, we see forest fires and open burning as the primary causes.”
Another key challenge exacerbating the situation is an overall lack of public awareness about the negative impacts of air pollution. Samip describes the local atmosphere, “There is some awareness of the high air pollution index in Kathmandu, as it is listed in the paper each day. But not the corresponding health impacts. Polluted rivers and solid waste issues are much more visually obvious day-to-day. The consequence is less urgency from the government as people are not demanding action.”
Finally, they explain that Nepal has lacked comprehensive, real-time air quality monitoring, which is a foundational capability needed to collect evidence and address this awareness gap, help change behaviors, and guide governmental policies.
Green Decision Labs — Monitoring Schools in Kathmandu
Samip’s organization, Green Decision Labs, is helping to address this data gap by expanding monitoring in Kathmandu and is backed by an EPIC (the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago) Air Quality Fund grant. The program is monitoring PM2.5 levels at 40 Kathmandu area schools with a total enrollment of more than 1,500 students. The rich, new data set will be used for education, aiding municipality decision-making, and correlating air quality with student health assessments.
Samip explains the benefits of focusing on schools, “We can educate a new wave of students each year as they start their educational journey. The monitoring can help advise on short-term actions such as wearing masks and longer-term mitigations such as planting more trees near the school.”
Samip describes how they have completed the first phase of selecting schools (that form three concentric rings throughout the city, each ring being ~2 km apart) and the deployment of the AirGradient sensors at each school. Currently, they are excited to be moving to the next phase focused on youth education and aiding in local decision-making.
Clean Energy Nepal — Expanding Monitoring to New Areas
Clean Energy Nepal (CEN) is also expanding air quality monitoring in Nepal and similarly has support from the EPIC Air Quality Fund. Their focus is on a different gap: the lack of monitoring outside of the Kathmandu Valley. Keshav explains, “There has been a lack of real-time monitoring in most of our cities amidst rising health concerns. We are aiming to address that.” Prakash goes on to add, “Municipalities and communities often don’t understand what the air quality levels mean and which precautions to take. By expanding monitoring throughout Nepal, we can enable local action.”
CEN’s Nepal Air Quality Improvement Program is now monitoring real-time PM2.5 data in 10 new cities. Each city has two AirGradient sensors, one in a commercial area and another in a residential area. (Figure 5 below) Keshav and Prakash describe how they have a great response from the local municipalities, despite challenges such as the “Gen Z Protests” of September 2025. (Figure 6 below)
CEN has also enabled a comprehensive, customizable dashboard to aid the municipalities in policy and decision-making. (Figure 7 below)
The CEN team then outlines what they plan on accomplishing via the new monitoring network. Keshav says, “Our goal is to enable the local government to make evidence-based decisions on short-term responses, such as masks or restricting open burning, as well as guide longer-term policies and budgeting. We have worked very closely with local municipalities on training so they can take full ownership.” Prakash adds, “We also focus heavily on youth training, teaching them how the monitoring network works. Young people will suffer the most as the air pollution problem gets worse by the year.”
The Importance of Open Data
Finally, I was encouraged to learn that both Green Decision Labs and Clean Energy Nepal are strong supporters of open data. Each organization is uploading its AirGradient sensor data to OpenAQ, the world’s largest open-access air quality data set. Keshav describes the value they see, “Open data and OpenAQ are very important for us. That way, institutions and researchers anywhere in the world can easily utilize the data for analysis, which ultimately helps us in the fight for clean air.” (Figure 8 below)
The Future of Improved Air Quality in Nepal
As we conclude our discussions, I ask each of them what the future holds for clean air progress in Nepal. Prakash has a pragmatic focus on key next steps. He says, “Keeping our network up and running can be a challenge. We need to keep focusing on uptime and training. As we move forward, we would also love to expand to more areas with additional sensor deployments.”
Samip’s response is a compelling embodiment of the principle of “Think Globally, Act Locally”. He states, “To be honest, what drives me is wanting to make my wonderful home city of Kathmandu beautiful again. We can then have clean rivers and air that is not polluted.”
Sources
- World Bank. 2025. Towards Clean Air in Nepal: Benefits, Pollution Sources, and Solutions. © World Bank.
- IQAir, Air Quality in Nepal (2024).
- IQAir, 2021 World Air Report.
