I grew up in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, looking at the Himalayas.
Since I left, what I miss most are the wide, panoramic views of some of the highest mountain peaks in the world.
Every time I visit Kathmandu, I hope to catch a glimpse of that magnificent mountain range, at least for a moment.
But I haven't had much luck in recent years.
The hotel I stayed at during a recent visit in April was at a solid altitude from which the mountains can be seen on a clear day, but not a single day during my two-week stay was like that.
Even from the main viewpoint in Nagarkot, near Kathmandu, nothing could be seen except a thick haze, as if the mountains did not exist at all.
"I no longer advertise this place as having 'sunrise, sunset and Himalayan views' like I used to," says Yogendra Shakya, who has had a hotel in the area since 1996.
The main culprit obscuring the magnificent sight today is severe air pollution that lingers over the region in the form of thick haze.
The tourism industry in countries such as Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Bhutan, across which the Himalayas stretch, relies heavily on the mountains to attract millions of visitors from around the world.
“During a tour last year, we had to compensate a group of hikers because the haze prevented our guides from showing them the Himalayas,” says Lucky Chetri, one of the first female hiking guides in Nepal.
Scientists warn that the haze in this area is becoming increasingly intense, lasting longer and significantly reducing visibility.
Haze is formed as a combination of pollutants such as dust and smoke particles from fires.
In some parts of this area, it persists, especially during the dry season, which now lasts significantly longer due to climate change.
Experts say that visibility of less than 5.000 meters is considered haze.
The monsoon season lasts from June to September, when clouds, rather than haze, obscure the view of the mountains and reduce visibility.
That is why the period from October to May was traditionally the best for tourism, as less precipitation and the best visibility were expected then.
March and April used to bring thick haze and very low visibility due to high temperatures and lack of rain.
Today, that period begins in December.
And the extended dry season means there is no rain to break up the haze.
Disappointed tourism workers and visitors
John Carroll, a tourist from Australia, has visited Nepal more than ten times since 1986.
"It's a big disappointment when you can't see the mountains," he says.
"It wasn't like this 10 years ago, but now the haze dominates and it's extremely disappointing for visitors like me," adds Carol.
Krishna KC, provincial president of the Nepal Mountain Guides Association in Gandaki province, in the west of the country, says the mountaineering industry is in serious crisis.
"Our members, the organizers of hiking tours, are increasingly discouraged because without a view of the Himalayas, there is no work."
"Many of them are even thinking about changing professions," he tells the BBC.
Persistent haze
In the central Himalayas, in northern India, hoteliers and tourism workers in the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand say the haze is now thicker and returning much faster than before.
"We have long dry periods and then sudden, heavy rainfall, which was not the case in the past."
"Due to the erratic rains, the haze lingers for much longer," says Malika Virdi, who works in the tourism industry in the state of Uttarakhand.
However, Virdi believes that tourists are also persistent.
"It seems that the tourists have come to terms with the situation."
"Many of them accept that they were unlucky this time and say that the Himalayas are calling them to return, and they do," she says.
The Western Himalayas in Pakistan have until recently been less affected by haze because the mountains are relatively far from major cities.
But locals say that even mountain ranges that could once be clearly seen from cities like Peshawar and Gilgit are now rarely visible.
"The haze is lingering longer and we can no longer see the mountains that we used to be able to," says Asif Shuja, former director of Pakistan's Environmental Protection Agency.
Vicious circle
Several South Asian cities regularly top the list of the most polluted places in the world.
Public health in many parts of the region is seriously affected by toxic air, which also causes traffic disruptions and the closure of schools and colleges.
Emissions from vehicles and industry, dust from construction sites and gravel roads, and open burning of waste are the main sources of pollution throughout the year.
Particles such as soot from large forest fires and stubble burning on farms in northern India, Pakistan and Nepal combine with existing pollutants in the air during the dry season.
A longer and more intense dry season, as a result of climate change, has led to a significant increase in the number of forest fires in the region.
And meteorological conditions, when a warmer layer of air remains above a colder layer, create conditions during which pollutants remain in the air and vertical air movement is limited, which prevents the dispersion of pollution.
"Hazmots and sandstorms in South Asia are on the rise, and this trend is expected to continue due to climate change and other factors," Dr Someshwar Das of the South Asian Meteorological Association told the BBC.
A recent study in Kathmandu showed that since 2000, on average, almost all days in December, January, and February have been above the visibility threshold and can be classified as haze days.
During the 1990s, the percentage of such days in the same months was around 60 percent.
According to the Nepal Hydrology and Meteorology Department, the airport in Pokhara, one of the main tourist centers in western Nepal, recorded 2024 days of haze in 168.
This is a significant increase compared to 23 such days in 2020 and 84 days in 2021.
However, there is still no comprehensive and comparable data at the regional level on the frequency of haze days.
Experts say the Himalayas are probably the most affected mountain range in the world, precisely because of their location in the most populous part of the planet.
This means that the enchanting view of the Himalayas may in the future remain reserved mainly for photographs, artistic paintings and postcards.
"We are left doing this job with a sense of guilt, because we cannot show the mountains to the people who came and paid us for them," says Laki Chetri, who has trained many women to become mountain guides in Pokhara, a picturesque tourist town in western Nepal.
"And we can't do anything about the haze."
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