KATHMANDU, JULY 20
The Office of the Auditor General has urged the Government of Nepal to spend pollution control fee for the purpose of which it is collected from consumers.
Section 13 of the existing Finance Act, 2020 stipulates a provision which allows the government to levy a pollution charge of Rs 1.50 per litre on petrol and diesel to be sold or distributed inside Nepal.
According to the 59th annual report (2020-21) of the OAG submitted to President Bidhya Devi Bhandari last week, the Ministry of Forests and Environment collected a whopping Rs 12.81 billion in pollution control fee from fiscal 2008-09 to the fiscal 2020-21. Around Rs 3.38 billion was collected in the fiscal 2020-21 alone.
The amount collected as pollution control fee was deposited in the consolidated fund of the government. "Despite the collection of such a huge amount, the government does not seem to be spending it for prevention and control of air pollution. The government is obliged to spend the fee only for the purpose for which it was collected," suggested the OAG.
Due to inaction on the part of the government and authorities concerned, citizens have not been able to enjoy their fundamental right to live in a clean and healthy environment as guaranteed by the constitution.
Pollution is one of the most worrying problems in Nepal, especially in Kathmandu valley and other urban areas.
The government has already issued the Kathmandu Valley Air Quality Management Action Plan, 2020, to ensure the fundamental right of citizens to live in a clean and healthy environment, but it is not being implemented in an effective manner.
'Kathmandu valley with clean and healthy air' is the vision of that action plan.
The action plan has set eight objectives to realise the vision.
They include reduction of outdoor pollution generated or emitted by transport and construction sectors, industrial enterprises and household waste; reduction of indoor pollution; awareness raising about the condition of air pollution, its cause, potential impact on public health, and mitigation and preventive measures; developing a decision support system for air quality management; air pollution management in an emergency situation; and ensuring financial resource for air pollution control by strengthening policy, legal and institutional frameworks; among others.
However, the OAG revealed that the government had failed to take concerted measures for pollution control.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 21, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
