No respite from choking air for valley dwellers, actionable anti-emission policies are the need of the hour

PM2.5 trends in December – February: 2024-25 vs. 2025-26 I Courtesy: Suresh Pokhrel, ICIMOD

Kathmandu, Nepal | 12 February, 2026

With air quality beginning to plummet in the Kathmandu valley at the onset of winter, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development’s (ICIMOD) air quality monitoring station in Khumaltar captured an average level of 45 micrograms (µg ) of 2.5-micrometre-particulate matter (PM_2.5) in per cubic meter of Kathmandu’s air (m³), for December 2025.

Between December 2025 and February 2026, the mean PM_2.5 level was around 50 µg/m³.

A quick comparison with the situation in 2024–2025 might give a glimmer of hope, albeit misleadingly.

The mean PM_2.5 level in December 2024 was nearly 1.5 times higher than that in 2025, while mean level between December 2024 – February 2025 was nearly 1.3 times higher than that between December 2025- February 2026.

Yet, no respite from the choking air is in sight for the valley dwellers.

Firstly, even with this drop in pollutant level, Kathmandu’s winter air quality continues being perilous for human health – still in the World Health Organization’s “unhealthy” air quality threshold.

Secondly, this drop in pollutant level is fleeting. Air quality is already on a steady decline since the second week January 2026. Data from the Khumaltar monitoring station show that the PM_2.5 level between January 09 – 31 rose to a maximum of 85 µg/m³, vis-à-vis 80 µg/m³ in the same period of 2025.

According to Suresh Pokhrel, Air Pollution Analyst at ICIMOD: “December 2025 was noticeably cleaner than December 2024. But since January, pollution has started rising again. This pattern shows that we are not dealing with any lasting change, but only a brief relief.”

While winter conditions, such as colder air and slower air movements, are responsible for raising the intensity and exposure to ambient air pollution, ICIMOD’s air quality experts ponder on whether or not the short-lived dip in December’s PM_2.5 level may be due to weather conditions.

“December’s cleaner air was most likely linked to reduced emissions rather than meteorology,” says Abhishek Upadhyay, Energy and Emissions Specialist at ICIMOD. “But the rebound in January and February shows how quickly pollution returns when emissions are high and meteorology is favourable for pollution build-up.”

As hazardous-air-driven environmental and public health crisis persist in Kathmandu, and Nepal, in general, experts warn that without sustained reductions in emissions, freedom from the crises could be a pipe dream.

Ashish Tiwari, Lead of the Action Area on Air at ICIMOD, warns that this cycle will not break on its own. “This winter tells us how fragile our gains are. Without targeted and sustained emission cuts, severe pollution events will keep coming back every year. Temporary dips are not progress, sustained changes are.”

The Government of Nepal can pave the way for such changes through the National Air Quality Management Plan (NAQMAP). The plan aims to identify major pollution sources, set priorities for investment, and strengthen monitoring across the country.

“NAQMAP is an important step,” Tiwari adds. “But to protect people’s health, it must translate into real action on the ground, cleaner transport, cleaner energy, and stronger enforcement.”

As Nepal stares down at the year’s next pollution spike in the forthcoming pre-monsoon season, experts stress the urgency of accelerating nationwide efforts to reduce emissions and prevent the country’s poor air quality from worsening further.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Neraz Tuladhar (Raz), Media Officer
Email: media@icimod.org