Samyog Kandel

Suffocating in Trash

"Suffocating in Trash"

Every day, Maya sets up her small tea shop by the road, and she does this near a growing heap of plastic bags, styrofoam boxes, and organic waste. What once was only a heap now eng

the hills around Kathmandu

"Choking the Valley"

From the hills around Kathmandu, the valley does not look like a lively city but rather like a landscape that is imprisoned in a dome of suffocation. The distinct mountain range of

Clear Skies, Pure Life

"Clear Skies, Pure Life"

Every morning, Tenzing goes out and inhales easily. In front of him lies the snow-clad peaks of Machhapuchhre in all their glory amidst a spotless sky of bright blue color. In this

Suffocating Commute

"Suffocating Commute"

A normal commute through the city should not be a struggle for survival. As shown in the image , a normal commute in Kathmandu requires commuters to convert their clothes into shie

Blinded by the Dust

"Blinded by the Dust"

Daily commutes have turned into navigating through a sandstorm in the heart of the city where dust clouds from the dusty, dirty roads cover everything in sight cars, clothing, and

Kathmandu's Toxic Traffic

"Kathmandu's Toxic Traffic"

Daily life of the commuters and roadside workers of Kathmandu is made worse due to a stifling environment. Every morning while going to workplace or school becomes hazardous becaus

Choking on the Bagmati

"Choking on the Bagmati"

The Bagmati River used to be the lifeline of Kathmandu for decades. Now, however, this river has become extremely polluted, thus posing a threat to everyone who lives around the ri

This Is Where It Ends Up

"One bag at a time. Until it looked like this."

This is where it goes Nobody designed it like this. That’s just the fact of it. Nobody rolled out of bed one morning and said 'I know what this neighborhood needs- a landfill rig

Two Bins Zero Excuses

"The bin was right there. It still is."

Two bins. No excuse. Lalitpur municipality purposefully put those there. Green for organic. Red for non-organic. Big clearNepali sign. A solid metal post firmly concreted in plac

Trees Didn't Get the Memo

"They bloom every spring. The river just keeps getting darker"

The Trees Didn't Get the Memo Despite that-they still bloom every spring. Those little white flowers growing on the edge of the riverbank. They don't care about the water quality

The Day the Sky Turned Black

"You could smell it before you could see it"

Here, I was stood on my roof... I’d gone to see what the situation was - you can smell smoke long before you can see it- and then when I looked out, the horizon disappeared. From

A Sky Without a Lid

"Some places still wake up to this. Every day."

I took this photo one morning while I was in Pokhara, and the thing that hit me the most was that while this was just an ordinary morning for everyone else, this looked incredibly

River That Used to Be Sacred

"We still call it holy. We just stopped treating it that way"

I stayed there for a little while before I took this picture. This is the Bagmati river. The same river where Pashupatinath lies, the same river that people burn their dead at, th

The Line in the Sky

"From up here it looks like a view. Down there, it's the air."

Came up here for the view you know. Everybody does. This view of Kathmandu is crazy, I have to tell you it seems to stretch out forever. The roofs. Blue ones, red brick ones, whit

Just Tuesday in Kathmandu

"The smoke doesn't stop. Neither does anyone else."

This photo was taken when I was simply standing around in Bhatkali. See the smoke from that truck? Comes before the truck, thick and white, pouring into the street and sitting the

The hills are still there..

"The hills are still there. We just stopped being able to see them."

That’s how I stood there, simply observing the city where I grew up. Yet all along, I knew – there are hills beyond those buildings. Yes, hills I have been seeing my entire life,

Same Rooftop Different Sky

"The mountains didn't go anywhere. The air just stopped letting me see them."

I took both of these from my own rooftop. Same spot. Same tower. Same neighborhood. I wasn't trying to make a point. I just looked up on a bad day, took a photo, then looked up

Built on Their Breath

"They built your walls. Nobody built them a mask."

The first thing you notice about Maya is her hands. Calloused, thickened, mapped by nine years of carrying brick. She holds her tea with both hands the way people do when they'r

The Workers of the Ghats

"The Sacred and the Suffocating: The Workers of the Ghats"

Families arrive crying. They leave within hours, carrying grief and ash. But Ram Bahadur doesn't leave. He was here yesterday. He'll be here tomorrow. From the first pyre lit at

KathmanduMay 2026

Moving People, Not Metal

"Look at the vehicles idling on the street right now"

On one side you have a bus with 40 people on it, all going to work or school together in the same vehicle. On the other side, you have four private cars—and there are only 4 people