Air Pollution in Kathmandu Valley Introduction Paragraph · Toxic air in Kathmandu valley will shorten the life of newly born children by two years according to the report on global exposure to air pollution and its diseases by US- based Health Effects Institute. · Give a little background of pollution in Kathmandu valley and how it has been always a concern for people living in the Kathmandu valley. · Thesis- To add some plans and implement the National Pollution Control Strategy and Action Plan (NPCSAP) to reduce the air pollution in Kathmandu valley. Problem Part First paragraph =The air pollution of Kathmandu valley is getting worse in the present context than before, and is a problem that must be taken care of. · With the area of only 19.69 sq. miles, Kathmandu valley has been densely populated with the population of 1,376,108 in 2019 · With the population growth, haphazard urbanization and rapid increase in the number of private vehicles, the quality of air is degrading day by day. · Environmental Performance Index is the careful measure of environmental trends and issue covering environment health and ecosystem vitality measure by the Yale Center of Environmental Law and Policy with the collaboration of Yale research university, Columbia University, and World economic Forum. According to the EPI results of 2018, Nepal ranks 176 out of 180 countries with Kathmandu being one of the most polluted city of Nepal. · Furthermore, Kathmandu lies in the third rank of being the most polluted city of Asia according to the report by 2016 Numbeo-Numbeo is the world’s largest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. Numbeo provides current and timely information on world living conditions including cost of living, housing indicators, health care, traffic, crime and pollution. . · Particulate Matter is a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air. The PM(10) and PM(2.5) measure of Kathmandu valley according to the report of WHO was 88 μg/m3 and 49 μg/m3 which are very high than the standard PM measure. According to the WHO Air quality guidelines values, the standard value of PM(10) and PM(2.5) is 20 and 10 μg/m3 · Data have shown that in 2000/1, number of registered vehicles was 24,003 and by 2015/16 it has increased to 7, 79,822. This shows an increment by more than 32 times in the last one and a half decade. Approximately 67 percent of Particulate matter is supplied by vehicular emission in Kathmandu valley · There are more than 200 brick kilns operating in Kathmandu valley, which is degrading the quality of air day by day. According to the report from Health Research and Social Development Forum, there are 3 times more PM in air when the brick is operating in comparison to when brick kilns are not operating. Second Paragraph: The air pollution is adversely affecting the health of people in Kathmandu valley and hence is a great problem. · New f.

1. Air Pollution in Kathmandu Valley
Introduction Paragraph
· Toxic air in Kathmandu valley will shorten the life of newly
born children by two years according to the report on global
exposure to air pollution and its diseases by US- based Health
Effects Institute.
· Give a little background of pollution in Kathmandu valley and
how it has been always a concern for people living in the
Kathmandu valley.
· Thesis- To add some plans and implement the National
Pollution Control Strategy and Action Plan (NPCSAP) to reduce
the air pollution in Kathmandu valley.
Problem Part
First paragraph =The air pollution of Kathmandu valley is
getting worse in the present context than before, and is a
problem that must be taken care of.
· With the area of only 19.69 sq. miles, Kathmandu valley has
been densely populated with the population of 1,376,108 in
2019
· With the population growth, haphazard urbanization and rapid
increase in the number of private vehicles, the quality of air is
degrading day by day.
· Environmental Performance Index is the careful measure of
environmental trends and issue covering environment health and
ecosystem vitality measure by the Yale Center of Environmental
Law and Policy with the collaboration of Yale research
university, Columbia University, and World economic Forum.
According to the EPI results of 2018, Nepal ranks 176 out of
180 countries with Kathmandu being one of the most polluted
city of Nepal.
· Furthermore, Kathmandu lies in the third rank of being the
most polluted city of Asia according to the report by 2016
Numbeo-Numbeo is the world’s largest database of user
contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. Numbeo

2. provides current and timely information on world living
conditions including cost of living, housing indicators, health
care, traffic, crime and pollution. .
· Particulate Matter is a complex mixture of solid and liquid
particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the
air. The PM(10) and PM(2.5) measure of Kathmandu valley
according to the report of WHO was 88 μg/m3 and 49 μg/m3
which are very high than the standard PM measure. According
to the WHO Air quality guidelines values, the standard value of
PM(10) and PM(2.5) is 20 and 10 μg/m3
· Data have shown that in 2000/1, number of registered vehicles
was 24,003 and by 2015/16 it has increased to 7, 79,822. This
shows an increment by more than 32 times in the last one and a
half decade. Approximately 67 percent of Particulate matter is
supplied by vehicular emission in Kathmandu valley
· There are more than 200 brick kilns operating in Kathmandu
valley, which is degrading the quality of air day by day.
According to the report from Health Research and Social
Development Forum, there are 3 times more PM in air when the
brick is operating in comparison to when brick kilns are not
operating.
Second Paragraph: The air pollution is adversely affecting the
health of people in Kathmandu valley and hence is a great
problem.
· New finding of research and studies done by WHO reveals a
strong link between air pollution exposure and cardio vascular
diseases like strokes, ischemic heart disease, as well as cancer
in addition to development of various respiratory diseases.
· In 2015, the Ministry of Population and Environment
estimated that ambient air pollution was responsible for up to
1,600 premature deaths in the Kathmandu Valley
· Data of Department of Health (DoH) services in Nepal shows

3. that, in 2013-2014, COPD was the most common cause of
mortality among inpatients and respiratory tract diseases were
the most common reason for outpatients’ consultations with
both upper and lower respiratory tract infections being within
the top four.
· Data of Global Health Observatory (GHO) for mortality from
ambient air pollution in Nepal in 2012 shows a threatening rate
of 9,944 deaths of which Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD) caused
the highest death rate of 33.4% followed by stroke 32%, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 17.8%, lung cancer
9.3%, and Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (ALRTI)
7.4%
· Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN) surveyed
about 60 children who were working as staffs on three-wheelers
in valley and result showed that 84% staffs were suffering from
eye problem, 82% chest pains, 66% were suffering from coughs
and 58% by headaches. Similarly 45% children were suffering
by respiratory problem.( Also include this as the empirical data
)
· Dr. Shakya S. conducted a study incorporating questionnaires
to the traffic police. He observed that out of 90 traffic police,
most of them were suffering from diseases related to nervous
and respiratory systems.
· Clean Energy Nepal (CEN) also did a questionnaire survey
for the people who live near to the brick industries and in
control area. The study revealed that 54% out of surveyed
people near to the brick kiln were suffering from respiratory
problem and 41% people in the control area were affected by
respiratory disorder.
Third Paragraph: Air pollution in Kathmandu Valley is affecting
the tourism industry in the country Nepal
· According to the report from the World Travel and Tourism
Council, the body which represents the travel and tourism sector
globally and conducts research on the Economic Impact of the
Travel and Tourism in 185 countries, tourism accounts for the
7.5% of Nepal’s GDP which is 820 million dollars.

4. · Tourists are mostly attracted to Kathmandu valley as 7 out of
10 UNESCO world Heritage sites are located in Kathmandu
valley, and it is easy to travel to any other tourism sites of
Nepal from Kathmandu being the capital and center of Nepal.
· However, the no. of tourists are observed to decline in recent
years. The number was decreased from 803092 of annual
visitors in 2012 to 538970 visitors in 2015, according to the
statistics of Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation of
Nepal.
· A survey done by the Clean Energy Nepal among the tourists
living in the tourist spot name Thamel in 2012 reveals that 54%
of tourists rated the air quality of Kathmandu as either very bad
or fairly bad. The respondents also reported that the air
pollution in the city has shortened their length of stay in Nepal,
and changed even their decision to revisit Nepal.
· According to the Clean Air Aisa Findings of the Departing
Visitors Survey conducted among 1,702 tourists between May
and June 2017 by MARG Nepal indicate that the quality of air is
the number one area where tourists feel improvement is needed.
Similarly,
SOLUTIONS
First
Solution
:
· The Department of Transport under the Government of Nepal
bans two strokes three wheeler vehicle from Kathmandu valley
in 2004.
· The reason for the proposed ban appears to be that the three-

5. wheelers emit unburned fuel. The Ministry of Transport had
recommended the ban after a study by the Air Resource
Management Centre of the Ministry of Environment and Natural
Resources.
· Removing two stroke vehicles from the valley have reduced
the air pollution as well as noise pollution.
· It has also helped to reduce the energy consumption because
the two stroke vehicles use more fuel than other.
· However, the rules and regulations are no implemented
because of the political instability and corruptions. The
economic condition of the country has also impacted on the
implementation the institutions because the government has not
allocated sufficient fund for environment. In Nepal there is
separate ministry dealing with environment (Ministry of
Environment), however, the establishment of the local authority
like environment department and its associated regional and
district bodies, to effectively deal with the problems related to
environment has not been materialized yet, even after more than
a decade has passed with the establishment of environment
ministry.
Second solution: Nepal to set apply the National Pollution
Control Strategy and Action Plan finalized in 2016.
· According to the plan, there will be a guide committee for
mainstreaming pollution control in all development efforts and

6. all targeted and highly polluted cities.
· There will be an effective pollution monitoring and control
system to be run by the Department of Environment.
· To work in collaboration with International Union for
Conservation of Nature and ADB for the implementation of
plans.
· The plan could not be implemented at all due to the political
instability in the government of Nepal.
· Similarly, there has been many obligations and disobedience
in the implementation of standards like environmental
assessment.
Third solution= Inspection and Maintenance
· China released a national regulation for inspecting and
measuring on-road high emitting diesel vehicles using remote
sensors (Ministry of Environmental Protection China 2017).
· Vehicles inspection and maintenance practices have become
successful in Gothenburg, Sweden too.
· The emission reduction performance was found better than
Los Angeles, California and Melbourne (Zhang et al. 1995).
· DoTM( Department of Transport Management) is the sole
organizations to conduct vehicle emission test in Nepal. Vehicle
inspection is required once a year except commercial vehicles,
which has provision to test every six months.
· To obtain a green sticker, it is crucial to pass the test and not

7. allow the failed vehicles to operate in the Kathmandu valley. To
pass the emission test, vehicle owner opt maintenance services.
For road side emission check, only nominal penalty is charged
for the failed vehicles.
· It was reported a decade ago that about 33-40 % of the diesel
vehicles emissions can be reduced after proper maintenance
(Faiz et al. 2006).
· However, there is lacks of vehicle maintenance policy in
Nepal and Kathmandu, and the inspection as well as the
emission test system has not been effectively implemented,
which obstruct this solution to be implemented in Kathmandu
valley.
Fourth