INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, JULY 08Despite the fundamental right to clean environment in the constitution, major cities of Nepal,
including Kathmandu, have continuously witnessed deteriorating air quality.
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Article 30 (1) of the constitution ensures each person shall have the right to live in a healthy and clean environment.Likewise, 30 (2)
stipulates, "The victim of environmental pollution and degradation shall have the right to be compensated by polluting agencies as provided
for by law." However, 222 deaths per 100,000 people in Nepal is due to air pollution.
The constitution has established the
right of all Nepalis to live in a clean and healthy environment and formulated supportive policies including Environment Protection Act,
Local Government Operation Act, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Periodic Plans, National
Climate Change Policy, and Kathmandu Valley Air Quality Management Action Plan that aims to achieve clean air while reducing air
surprising that major cities, including Kathmandu, have deteriorating air quality.According to the State of Global Air on Air Quality and
Health of Cities 2022 report, 42,100 deaths were recorded in Nepal, including 5,000 in Kathmandu in the year 2019.On an average, 222 deaths
per 100,000 people in Nepal is due to air pollution, which is significantly higher than the global average (86 deaths per 100,000), adjusted
for differences in age.Each Nepali was exposed to 83?g/m3 emission in the year (2021 March to April) while the global average emission was
42.It is because of this that Nepal is ranked world's top ten most vulnerable countries in terms of air quality in the world
Further, air pollution level is high in the dry winter season
It is said air pollution reduces life expectancy in Nepal by 4.2 years (EPIC 2022)."Despite this, not much has been done to curb air
The major challenges for better air quality management is poor networking among government stakeholders at the central, provincial and local
levels," Dr Bhupendra Das, Air Quality Expert told THT."Other reasons are inadequate practical research and consultations based policy which
has hindered effective implementation," he said, "Also, little attention is given to air pollution
Inadequate budget, and less research and development are also inhibiting factors
Most of the fund generated by polluters pay principle, has remained unspent except for some minor activities."According to health
researcher, Achyut Raj Pandey, particulate matter pollution measured as PM2.5 concentration in Nepal exceeds up to 15 times the WHO
premature deaths from air pollution by 67 per cent by 2030 (higher than any other SouthEast Asian Countries), which equals to 26,500 deaths
prevented annually," said Pandey."Particulate matter pollution is responsible for approximately 40,000 deaths in Nepal annually which is
higher than the total deaths caused by smoking (34,200 deaths), and high blood pressure (23,698)," he said, "cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
are responsible for 46,500 deaths annually in Nepal, of which 14,102 deaths are associated with particulate matter pollution."A version of
this article appears in the print on July 8, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com
