COVID-19 has forced the world into a grinding halt with most of the affected countries inflicting home quarantine to curb the spread. One of the many positive outcomes of this health crisis has been a drastic reduction in overall pollution levels across the globe. This has resulted in various mountain ranges being visible from cities which earlier were not able to witness them due to suspended particulates in the air.
The Gauri Shankar, Kang Nachugo, Mount Everest and Chobutse mountains visible from Nepal Valley | Image Abhushan Gautam
Kathmandu Valley in Nepal got lucky this time around as locals managed to get a very clear view of the gigantic Mount Everest from their homes. Around 200 kms away from the valley, the mesmerizing mountain range is once again visible to the locals after a long time.
Kathmandu as seen from Chobar on 10 May with majestic mountain ranges in the background | Image: Abhushan Gautam
Abhushan Gautam who’s a hobbyist photographer and wrote an article for Nepali Times captured the spanning Himalayan range with all the lesser hills and the urban habitat in the foreground. In the tweet shared by Nepali Times, the world’s highest mountain is indicated by an arrow.
The Mount Everest appears to be small since it is masked by the Mt Kang Nachugo and Mt Chobutse which are in front. The photographs were taken from Chobar (Nepal’s capital) on 10 May, taking advantage of the golden hours.
Mount Everest masked by the mountains Mt Kang Nachugo and Mt Chobutse | Image: Abhushan Gautam
Earlier, people were able to see the world’s highest mountain from a village in Bihar and other majestic mountain ranges were visible from Punjab and Utter Pradesh. This clearly shows the extent to which air pollution has deteriorated air quality around the globe.
Now that these mountains are visible from places you won’t imagine, it’s time to rethink how we all can adopt green living for a better future.