Experts have laid emphasis on effective management of air pollution and climate issues
KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 29
Environmentalists have called for the separation of the environment portfolio from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, claiming that it impedes effective management of air pollution and climate issues, which the government should prioritise.
They have highlighted how the Ministry of Forests prioritises green sector activities like forest preservation while ignoring larger environmental concerns like health-related pollutants and green innovations. Bhupendra Das, an environmental and air quality expert, argued in an interview with The Himalayan Times that the environment should be separated from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, which oversees departments such as Forests and Soil Conservation, Plant Resources, National Parks and Environment. According to him, the merger has pushed 'grey sector' issues such as urban air pollution, crop residue burning, PM2.5, black carbon, NOx, and SOx to the back burner as forestry staff focus on green initiatives such as forest preservation.
"This structure, evolved from historical soil conservation roles, creates capacity gaps and ignores Nepal's vulnerability to short-term pollutants beyond CO₂ sinks," Das stated.
He also argued that forestry dominance has hampered the green sector because forestry backgrounds dominate policy discussions, prioritising protection over sustainable utilisation and innovations such as green business, and blaming environmentalists for uncontrolled pollution.
Stating internal talks on health and pollution, he highlighted ministerial ignorance of climate pollutants, which are often absent from international dialogues focused on greenhouse gases.
"Forest fires may be linked to the environment, but rules and acts remain forestry-led, causing role confusion in the face of strategies such as the Forestry Sector Strategy 20162025, which emphasises sustainable management and climate resilience," he said.
Das also suggested a separate 'Ministry of Environment and Climate Change' to oversee grey sectors and facilitate zoning (high, medium, and low sensitivity areas) for balanced protection and development.
"This would foster hightech solutions, reduce emissions at the source, attract investment by reducing pollution, and address unemployment through GDP-aligned resource use, as opposed to pure conservation," he stated. "Policymakers should revise amid reforms, giving forests their own domain while the environment owns public health and innovation mandates."
In response to Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Kulman Ghising's remarks on resource use, he cautioned against fully endorsing or dismissing sustainable exploitation while integrating protection for longterm success
"Forests serve as carbon sinks but are ineffective against PM2.5 or black carbon without technology; over-protection risks poverty, while balance reflects global progress," Das stated.
Ghising, speaking at the Nepal Youth Entrepreneurship Summit, 2025, co-hosted by the National Youth Council and the Nepal Business Institute in Kathmandu, said, "In the name of protecting ecology, we are decaying our resources. We're importing wood from China and Malaysia because it's more difficult to cut down a tree than a person here. As a result, the next leadership will change these laws."
Ghising's remarks have also been criticised by the environmental activist. Animal rights and environmental activist Pramada Shah, upon hearing Ghising's speech, stated that she was shocked to hear such remarks from him. "Because it is an apparent move for businesses." On November 24, the PM Karki cabinet made 14 decisions, one of which is to move forward a process for the consent of environmental studies for projects that have already received survey licences for power production and hydropower projects that have signed power purchase agreements before July 8, 2024 in conservation areas or buffer zones.
The government has decided to approve environmental assessments for pipelines, drinking water projects, roads, bridges, public transportation, and power transmission lines that are directly connected to residents within the protected area.
The government has also decided to forward a process either to give land to the national forest or to acquire replacement land for the construction of this infrastructure.
