Meteorologists have said that the thick blanket of haze covering the Kathmandu valley will clear only after rainfall.

The thick blanket of haze, attributed to active forest fire in Nepal and other combustion sources including biomass burning or fuel burning, has been a big concern of late.

Meteorologists say the western regions of the country may receive some rainfall with thunderstorms but there are no indications that Kathmandu will witness rain shower anytime soon.

Meteorologist at Meteorological Forecasting Division in Tribhuvan International Airport, Barunraj Poudel, said the haze will only be cleared after rainfall or after movement of air. “There has been no air movement over the Kathmandu skies. It has also not witnessed any rainfall. The haze will be cleared only after rainfall or increase in air movement,” he said.

For the past one week, Kathmandu and several other parts of the country have been shrouded in thick blanket of haze, with increased concentration of particulate matter, which experts say, is enough to penetrate deep into the lungs.

The think haze has also affected the flight visibility, said Meteorologist. Normally a flight requires a visibility of 3,000 meters. However, the haze has limited it to only 1,500 to 2,000 meters, said Poudel.