Nepal is having its worst wildfire season in nearly a decade, with huge blazes raging across the country, shrouded in a brownish cloud, authorities say.
Read also: Ascent of Everest: no more quarantine to go to Nepal this summer
Air quality in the capital Kathmandu was ranked as the worst in the world on Tuesday, according to the IQAir monitoring site, and some international flights were delayed as thick smoke blanketed the city.
National Authority for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management spokesperson Uddav Prasad Rijal told AFP that the number of forest fires reported this season was the highest since the creation of registers listing them. , nine years ago.
Firefighters were working to control the flames, officials said.
More than 2,700 forest fires have been reported in the country since November, 14 times more than the same period last year, according to the government.
According to Uddav Prasad Rijal, the winter season between November and February was drier than usual, which increased the risk.
The fire season begins in November and lasts until the onset of the monsoon in June.
Farmers also burnt parts of woodland to grow grass to feed their livestock, Uddav Prasad Rijal added.
According to a climate expert, Madhukar Upadhya, it was "
inevitable
" that there would be more fires, as Nepalese winters are getting drier due to climate change.
"
We must work to reduce the risk of fire in communities that must be equipped to fight when a forest fire occurs,
" he told AFP.
Last week, schools were closed for four days after air quality reached dangerous levels.
