Call to improve the level of air pollution

Call to improve the level of air pollution

A recent international report has shown that the situation of environmental pollution in Nepal is critical and environmentalists have urged the government to take immediate steps to address it.

This year's Environment Performance Index (EPI) report, compiled by the prestigious American universities Yale and Colombia in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, was released this week in Davos, Switzerland.

Compared to 180 countries around the world, Nepal is ranked 176th in the world in terms of environmental pollution.

Comparing the quantity of air quality, Nepal is said to be in the last 180th place.

Environmentalist Bhushan Tuladhar thinks that there are two main reasons for this.

"We've seen a lot of dust in the city. The situation is even more serious. Elsewhere, about 75 percent of the houses are still burning firewood. It causes a lot of pollution," he said.

Another environmentalist, Toran Sharma, said: "It remains to be seen how the indicator will be used in the international arena. But the truth is that the air level in the Kathmandu Valley has dropped drastically. "

Need

He said the government should take the issue of pollution seriously.

Tuladhar said, "The government should go to war level by formulating a strategy. It should also work on strategies with equal importance to the issues of pollution and indoor pollution that come with the development of urban areas. It is not enough to do it lightly like now."

The Department of Environment has stated that the issues mentioned in the report have been taken seriously.

However, officials at the department said that despite the seriousness of the situation, there was no need to panic.

Safala Shrestha, deputy director general and spokesperson of the department, says that especially in urban areas, the amount of pollution in the morning and evening is very high even in winter.

"There is no need to panic. The situation is fine in the afternoon. If the road widening works are stopped, the situation will improve. Now we have to pay attention to the pollution caused by vehicles," she said.

According to him, air pollution is being measured at 12 places across the country, including seven places in Kathmandu.

She said vehicle smoke was responsible for about 38 percent of air pollution in urban areas.

'Foreign Pollution'

But some environmentalists say the problem is not only within the country but also outside the country.

According to Toran Sharma, an environmentalist, the pollution caused by the coal-based Indian industries along the border will come to Nepal along with the wind and cause a lot of damage.

He said, "Apart from the contribution of Nepalis, pollution from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan or Delhi in India is causing huge environmental problems here."

In the report, it is mentioned that India and Bangladesh are the neighboring countries of South Asia in a worse situation than Nepal.