In the News
December 27, 2018
The Capital is gasping for fresh air. Air pollution in most cities is a common phenomenon. But what is uncommon in Kathmandu’s case is the nonchalant behaviour of the authorities concerned. As reported earlier this week in the Post, air quality in the Kathmandu Valley deteriorated to ‘hazardous’ and ‘very unhealthy’ levels. We breathe such toxic air that masks have become a wardrobe staple. Yet, as the news published earlier in this paper mentions, there has been negligible or no government action despite a Supreme Court order in January directing authorities to immediately curb air pollution. It is disturbing to see the government being so complacent about the threat air pollution poses when it should have compelled a decisive shift in action.
The right to live in a clean and healthy environment is our fundamental right as a citizen. The constitution makes lofty claims about the same, and a clause even requires payment of compensation for harm caused by pollution. But, like everything else, these claims are ringing hollow in the absence of robust implementation. In a bid to curb the health menace collectively, a Mayors’ Summit on Air Pollution was held in October. The conference informed the mayors that pollution in the Valley was caused mainly by vehicular emission, road dust, burning of garbage and brick kilns—in that order. In fact, our air is so poisonous that a recent report published by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago revealed that if we were able to just maintain the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended PM2.5 levels–not exceeding 25 µg/m3—the life expectancy of Nepalis would increase by three to five years.