Environmental scientist Dr. Maheshwor Rupakhati, 2012- Team Leader at IASS Potsdam, said that air pollution is the number one killer of Nepal with 36,000 deaths in 2016. This is the single largest health risk in all South Asia including Nepal. Nepal welfare loss is 4.7 percent GDP equivalent to 2.8 billion dollar.

Air pollution is a major environmental and social problem in Nepal. Large volumes of pollution are entering to Himalayas through the river George.”The growing air pollution is badly hurting tourism in Nepal and it will have a significant impacts in mountain tourism, “said Dr. Rupakheti.

 Addressing a talk program on Air pollution and its effect on mountain tourism, Dr.Rupakheti said that the black carbon concentration in Himalayas is contributing melting the glacier.

Moderated by Bhumi Lal Lama, Dr. Rupakheti said that South Asia is a global air pollution hotspot saying air pollution of South Asia is a global concern. “Many studies have already made by us. “Given certain mitigation effort, Nepal can reduce the level of pollution,” said Dr. Rupakheti.

Addressing the program, Ang Tshering Sherpa, President of NMA said that Nepal needs to take precautionary measures before air pollution go out of proportion.