Pedestrians cover their face as they walk along the dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. Nepal has forced 2,500 old vehicles off roads in its capital city of Kathmandu, part of a fight against alarming air pollution levels that have hit nine times World Health Organisation (WHO) limits. Air pollution has been a chronic problem in rapidly growing Kathmandu, which sits in a Himalayan valley and is home to more than 3mn people. Rising public anger with the smog is turning into a headache for a beleaguered government headed by former Maoist rebels. Dust from road works, exhaust from old, poorly maintained vehicles and smoke from coal-burning brick kilns blend in a murky haze that hangs over the ancient city, raising the risk of cancer, stroke, asthma and high blood pressure, experts say. Officials hope the ban on vehicles more than 20 years old will be a step towards a cleaner future. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A blue vehicle parked on the side of a road is covered with dust in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A woman carrying her child walks along the dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A woman and her child wearing masks walk along a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A bus conductor wearing a mask hangs onto a bus as he travels through a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A woman covers herself as she walks along a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





Vehicles run along a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A traffic police wearing a mask stands in between vehicles on a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





Pedestrians cover their faces as they walk along a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A woman covers her face as she stands along a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A family travels on a motorcycle along a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A passenger bus travels along a dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A man stands in a view point as a general view of Kathmandu valley is picture covered from smog in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





Dust blows as vehicles run along a road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)





A woman carrying her child walks along the dusty road in Kathmandu, Nepal February 27, 2017. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)