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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 31294, member: 636"] Thick, burning smog covered Nepal's main city Thursday. People found it hard to breathe as smoke from forest fires filled the air. The pollution made Kathmandu one of the most toxic places on Earth that day. Winter brought almost no rain this year, which left forests very dry and ready to burn. The fires spread fast across the country and pumped smoke into the sky. Tests showed that harmful tiny particles called PM2.5 reached 178 micrograms per cubic meter. These small bits can cause cancer when they enter your blood through your lungs. Health experts say anything above 15 is bad for you. A company named IQAir ranked Kathmandu as the dirtiest air on the planet. Nepal faces forest fires every year around March, but they keep getting worse as our planet heats up. An air expert named Khushboo Sharma, who works at a mountain research center in Kathmandu, explained that dry weather makes fires more common. She pointed out that barely any rain fell this season, making trees and plants extra dry. The weather stayed still without wind to blow away the smoke, letting it build up over the city. Many locals talked about how their eyes hurt and felt itchy from all the bad air. The smog blocked the view at the airport and caused many flight delays. Mountain sightseeing trips had to stop because pilots couldn't see the peaks. Airport spokesman Rinji Sherpa confirmed that many flights faced problems because of poor visibility. The health department asked everyone to stay home if possible and wear masks when they went outside. The government also told people not to build anything or burn trash during this time. Research from the University of Chicago shows how serious the problem has become. Their Air Quality Life Index found that the average person in Nepal may lose 3.4 years of life just from breathing dirty air. This pollution crisis happens more often as climate change makes dry seasons worse across the Himalayan region. [/QUOTE]

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