A recent monitoring of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in Kathmandu, Nepal, by a Japan-based agency has alarmed the government. According to N H Rajbhandari, a senior meteorologist, the annual average SPM level in Kathmandu in 1994 was 202 microgrammes/cu m, 226 in 1995, showing signs of a further climb. Monitoring in the Thamel area recently showed a level of 434.1 mg/cu m -- almost double the World Health Organization's maximum permissible limit of 250 mg/cu m.
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