Industries must be encouraged to adopt cleaner technologies and processes that minimise their impact on the environment. This includes advanced filtration systems
KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 14
Air pollution can be defined simply as the presence of one or multiple contaminants, such as dust, fumes, gas, mist, odour, smoke or vapour in the atmosphere, which can be injurious to plants, animals and humans in many ways.
Human activities contribute to the mixing of harmful gaseous and particulate matter in the air, causing air pollution. Some major human activities causing air pollution include industries mainly run by fossil fuels and burning of different substances, dumping of solid and liquid wastes, and smoke from cooking, airplanes and automobiles.
Air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley and some other major cities of Nepal has led to a deterioration of the environment. Add to this the pollution caused by solid waste, waste water and even dirty politics at the historical and cultural cities, and improving the pollution level becomes a major challenge without a scientific and practical plan and its strict implementation.
The latest air pollution updates show that the major cities like Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, Dhankuta, Tulsipur and Pokhara all have critical air quality.
Without a doubt, pollution has been affecting human lives and their environment in a negative way.
Pollution damages every aspect of humans and the environment, such as health, economy and overall civilization of the people.
So we can't build a civilized nation without first building a clean environment by managing the waste sustainably.
According to the State of Global Air (SoGA) report, around 42,115 people die each year from illnesses related to air pollution in Nepal.
Similarly around 3,500 children die each year due to water-borne diseases in Nepal (Department of Health Services, 2017).
Consequently, huge amounts of resources are being spent on the treatment of those suffering from such illnesses caused by polluted air and water every year.
Reports from different organisations worldwide suggest that one-third of the deaths from lung cancer, heart disease and stroke are due to air pollution.
Air pollution, both indoors or outdoors, has a negative impact on human health. The particles and toxic gases emitted by different industries, vehicles, cooking processes, firewood and many other sources end up in the lungs during respiration and impact human health in a detrimental way. A range of particles of different diameters are emitted from different sources that can affect the lungs, blood, heart, eyes, brain and many parts of the human body. More specifically, particles of less than 10-micron diameter can easily penetrate deep inside the lungs and cause respiratory diseases. Particles of less than 2.5-micron diameter can even enter the blood system through the lungs, which can affect the heart and cause strokes, lung cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, asthma and many more. Also, the particles causing the pollution can stick to the eyes and cause irritation and even permanent damage to the eyes.
The government and its related departments need to develop a practical plan considering the current situation.
People face pollution everywhere in a single day, while drinking water, breathing, walking, sitting in a park, and going to public places community schools, cultural places and even inside the building of the parliament. Major cities stink due to the garbage produced from the home and other sources, which will become a very serious issue in the near future.
A large number of people are aware of the different kinds of pollution, and their prevention measures, but they refuse to comply with the mitigation measures in their daily lives. The government and the related authorities have developed dozens of policies, guidelines and regulations considering these issues, but they have never been implemented properly. As a result, these documents are gathering dust on the office shelves.
The federal and local governments had developed policies regarding construction of new homes, and the house owners were required to maintain some space around their homes for some greenery. But this has not been practised because the local government is unwilling to take action against those who break the rules. Similar policies were also developed for other areas regarding building disaster-resilient infrastructure following the devastating earthquake in 2015 that killed thousands of people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes. Instead, after the earthquake, the buildings have grown only taller and leave no open spaces as required.
The old practice of building homes still continues, with no change in the attitude of both the government and the people at large.
Additionally, individuals can play a vital role in improving the air quality by being mindful of the energy they consume, reducing waste and emissions, and choosing eco-friendly products. Individuals can also take other simple actions, such as using eco-friendly products and reducing the amount of waste they generate in their daily life.
Another important step is to improve energy efficiency and switch to renewable energy sources, such as hydro, wind and solar power. Nepal is well-endowed with hydropower potential, and its location in the Himalayas provides ample water resources for power generation.
Thus, increasing the use of hydropower and other renewable energy sources will not only reduce emissions from energy generation but also help to slow down the effects of climate change, which is a major contributor to air pollution and other environmental problems.
Moreover, industries must be encouraged to adopt cleaner technologies that minimise their impact on the environment. This can include investing in advanced filtration systems, reducing waste and emissions, and improving the efficiency of energy use.
Moreover, planting trees and maintaining greenery are the most important factor in maintaining clean air, which plays a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 15, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
