The government is preparing to launch an action plan against air pollution in the valley. According to the Department of Environment, the action plan will not have immediate solutions but it will form a guide to short-term, mid-term, and long-term solutions to survive the valley’s increasing air pollution.
The department said a draft of the action plan against air pollution has already been prepared and is currently under discussion with the stakeholders to receive their opinions.
Shankar Prasad Paudel, Senior Divisional Chemist of the department said, “We intend to launch the action plan against air pollution either on the first week of Asadh this year or by the end of the current Nepali fiscal year.” He further added, “The plan has short-term, mid-term, and long-term targets, and outline guidelines to reach the targets.” Paudel said that the final draft will be prepared after consultation with experts and stakeholders.
The Department of Environment has also finalized the draft of the National Pollution Control Strategy and Action Plan.
The Action Plan draft proposes to establish an Environment Protection and Climate Change Council (EPCCC) to address the issues of environment protection and climate change. As per the draft, the EPCCC will be chaired by the prime minister, the environment and population minister will take the position of vice-chair person, and the secretary at the ministry will fill the position of the member secretary of the council. The council will have 41 members.
The draft also proposes to form a Strategy and Action Plan Implementation Coordination Committee, and a Strategy and Action Plan Implementation Unit. While the government has set up air quality monitoring stations in the Valley, there is no government record for levels of water, noise, and visual pollution.
The ongoing Melamchi project is digging trenches and laying pipes for the distribution of drinking water, increasing dust pollution in the Valley.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City said that it is planning to import five road broomers, two tree planting machines, and five water tanks at the earliest to immediately address the problem of dust pollution.
This new project of an action plan against air pollution will definitely make it easier to survive this air pollution in the valley.
Reference: The Himalayan Times