Pollution and Environmental issues

Pollution and Environmental issues

Industrialisation and poverty are two major contributors leading to two different issues of air pollution; outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution respectively. Basically, developed countries are concerned about outdoor air pollution, as  indoor air pollution is not a major issue in their context. Developing countries like Nepal are at double jeopardy; as the problem of outdoor as well as indoor air pollution is growing fast, and those pollutions are interchangeable.

The main sources of air pollution in Kathmandu are industries and vehicles. Other minor sources are domestic cooking fuels, refuse burning and resuspended dust particles. A study done by the World Bank in 1993 estimated that the contribution of vehicle exhaust to Total Suspended Particulate was only 3.5 percent compared to contribution of Himal Cement Factory (36%), brick kilns (31%) and domestic fuel combustion (14%).

Whereas, the major source of indoor air pollution in Nepal is biomass fuel. About 50 % of the world''s population is estimated to use solid bio-fuels like animal dung, crop residues, wood and coal for cooking daily meals and heating homes. The census 2001 report In Nepal shows that 80 % of households depend upon solid bio-fuels for domestic uses. is considered to be a significant source of public health hazard, particularly to the poor and vulnerable women and children.

Control

Ministry of Environment has established an air quality monitoring system in Kathmandu valley consisting of six monitoring stations in Putali Sadak, Patan Hospital, Thamel, Bhaktapur, Kirtipur and Matsyagaon. These monitoring stations automatically collect 24-hour samples of air and the samples are analyzed for PM10. The data being generated from the six monitoring stations in Kathmandu gives a fairly good picture of the current status of air quality in the valley.

Apart from this water pollution in Nepal is a major problem. The five major rivers of Kathmandu valley are polluted beyond the limit . They seem to have ceased their flow due to the garbage disposed hapazardly in the rivers and the major culprit for the water pollution is the sewer disposal system in Nepal specially in the Kathmandu valley . The sewer from homes and the industries is directly disposed into tthe rivers without any premilinary treatment . Also there is a major crisis of drinking water all over  Nepal . The crisis is especially concerntrated in the Kathmandu city ,  over 23 % of the population not having ascess over clean drinking water .