Air pollution threatens the health of 166 thousand people across 8 districts in Thimphu. The average PM2.5 level is 22.4 Āµg/mĀ³ā4.5Ć higher than the WHO guideline.
Brought to you by Amrit Sharma
Thimphu faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 166 thousand across 8 districts at risk.
The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 22.4Āµg/mĀ³. That's 4.5 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5Āµg/mĀ³.
This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 372 cigarettes in a year.
If Thimphu met the WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³, the average person would live 1.74 years longer.
That's 289K years of life stolen from 166 thousand people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.
Lives cut short. Breathing kills.
The top 8 most polluted districts in Thimphu. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.
Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 Āµg/mĀ³āonly populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.
Complete air quality data for every district in Thimphu, sorted by population.
| District | Population | PM2.5 Āµg/mĀ³ | Years Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chang | 93K | 22.0 | 1.7 years |
| Kawang | 60K | 24.0 | 1.9 years |
| Mewang | 8K | 18.1 | 1.3 years |
| Darkala | 3K | 21.1 | 1.6 years |
| Genye | 1K | 16.3 | 1.1 years |
| Lingzhi | 591 | 14.9 | 1.0 years |
| Naro | 302 | 19.1 | 1.4 years |
| Soe | 220 | 17.6 | 1.2 years |
Showing 8 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 Āµg/mĀ³.