Nepal, Feb. 11 -- A disaster in the making due to poor urban infrastructure planning and weak city governance

As an old resident, I argue that one can safely say:'God had made Kathmandu a heaven; we humans are converting it into a hell'. As I write this article, I read the AQI ranking that ranks Kathmandu city the 6th most polluted city in the world. In fact, for the last one month, the air quality index in Kathmandu is competing with the air quality level of New Delhi, Lahore and Dhaka - the most polluted cities in the world. It is estimated that the average Nepalese is losing 5-6 years of their life due to air pollution. Over the last decade, Kathmandu Valley experienced rapid urbanization, making it one of the fastest-growing metropol...