Environmental Issues in Nepal - PDF

Business Communication
Environmental issues in Nepal
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Introduction
Nepal is a country which is full of natural beauty and it is renowned by its natural resources such
as rivers, waterfalls, flora and mountain peaks. All the natural resources found there are slowly
facing towards overexploitation. Undiminished use for the growth and development for hydro-
electricity and irrigation, construction of road, agriculture and agro based industries,
telecommunication and urbanization have created the tremendous imbalance in the entire eco
system. A complete solution is needed that must include the environmental guidelines and
policies in order to reduce the effects on the environment which fallouts from such huge growths.
The existing crucial environmental issues and obstacles that exist in the country Nepal are
mentioned below.
One of the major issue is the Population Growth and Migration.
The fundamental issue that exists in Nepal is the growing population and the migration. The
population of Nepal is increasing by 2.6% per year. In addition to this, the population of Nepal
migrates from the Trans-Himalayan region, from the mountains and from India as well to the
Terai region. This can cause a terrible and tremendous pressure and stress on the land and other
areas as well. This has also caused huge violation on the existing areas and forests of Nepal. So,
eradicate such big issue, a national policy must be made and implemented as soon as possible in
order to reduce the uncontrollable growing population and relocation, so that the worsening of
the entire atmosphere generated by the growing inhabitants can be reduced to some extent
(Bardsley and Hugo, 2010).
Another issue is Deforestation and its end results
Deforestation takes place on a great and huge gauge and at a hastening rate, especially in the
Terai areas up into the higher moderate climatic region. Deforestation generates serious issues of
soil erosion majorly found on the hills, mountains and vertical topographies. This leads to speedy
run-off leads to the scarcity of water, floods and devastation as an outcome in the Terai region.
According to Donner in the year 1972, it was stated that this may result in the desertification in
the country slowly and gradually. The problem of desertification is also found in some African
and other countries as well (Conrad and Hilchey, 2011). The logically gentle, lengthy run off of a
timbered region, becomes below the hefty rainfall of the monsoon majorly in the deforested

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region, drenching, and distended, fast-flowing rivers. For the period of dry season, the resources
of water which are dispersed in the monsoon season are not sufficient because the water
sequences dry up and the accessibility of water is minimized. The speedy run-off transmit
valuable Nepalese top soil which is further exported to India as well as Bangladesh without any
fee for the compensation and there, not often, minimizing the production of crops by siltation.
The huge number of livestock in the country is reducing from time to time. This has taken place
just because of the inaccessibility of food which is produced due to weighty cropping and the
continuous hacking of the forests.
The attack of the weed named “ban Mara” (Eupatorium adenophorum) converted into exposed
and troubled regions of the forest is later restricting cattle browsing. In the current scenario, the
fecund capability of the arable land in Terai as well in hilly region has reduced as the fertile
uppermost soil slips away and the usage of cattle mucks for composting and manure is decreased
as the number of cattle is reducing day by day. As an outcome, people living in the country are
stressed and pressurized to clear all the forest regions (Middleton, 2013).
Another issue of Drinking water and Sanitation
The solution to the problem related to drinking water and Sanitation is still unacceptable. Only
11% of the entire inhabitants obtains piped drinking water which has been claimed according to
the National Planning Commission. The excellence of the drinking water majorly in the
Kathmandu is facing a huge loss. It was found that the drinking water is highly contaminated and
it contains coliform bacteria specially Escherichia coli. This pollution can easily be found to
inefficient process of water and its treatment at the water reservoirs. Nepal’s Department of Soil
Conservation and Watershed Management have planned to take the important corrective action
steps in order to preserve the barren and forest land of the country which is diminishing day by
day. They have motivated community afforestation agendas such as soil protection, flood
control, and cropland loss protection schemes. There is nevertheless, still there is a huge demand
for additional growth and development of supplementary complete practices and policies for the
environment protection (Malhotra, 2010).
Plantation of pine might have the environmental limitation, but from the look out of afforestation
there are quick advantages as well. Pines grow very fast and they do not require too much care
and they help in protecting the soil from the unnecessary pressure of heavy rainfall. On the

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contrary, pines are assumed to reduce the fertility of soil. There is an urgency for the appropriate
speedy rising tree species which can be recycled for afforestation and it can source fuel as well
as fodder.
Next issue is the Situation of Energy
Wood consist of 87% of the entire fuel necessity for the individuals living in Nepal. Additional
energy necessities are satisfied by the hydro-electricity. Increasing human encroachment for the
cultivation and settlement has led to the causes of deforestation majorly in the Chitwan Valley. If
the recent demand for wood continues, then it can be found that the areas of the forest will be
deteriorated in 12 to 14years. One possible substitute to the high ingestion of wood is hydro
power. Thankful to this fact, Nepal has previously connected hydro-power stations of several
dimensions at huge number of areas in the country. Such major structures have a problem such
as high siltation rate infilling the confiscated water reservoirs reservoir edge erosion, river bed
unpredictability and the effect of the construction of dam ecosystems (Mirumachi, 2013)
Ecological educations must continue the construction of dam phase in order to evaluate the
potentials of such effects and improve them as far as required. Such category of study and
information must form a stable part of environmental policy of Nepal (Massey, Axinn and
Ghimire, 2010).
The last issue of the urban development and pollution
The urban inhabitants of Nepal is growing at a precise high speed rate of 4 to 5% per annum over
the last decade. Urban surroundings are below pressure that come from air, noise, solid waste,
sewage and industrial emission contamination. A part from this, the Bagmati River which swipes
away the Kathmandu Valley is highly affected and contaminated by huge number of unnecessary
resources which contains large volume of E. coli and additional pathogens such as Vibrio
cholera. Shigella etc. Records as extraordinary as 1.3 x 10SE. coli per 100 ml, with an overall of
45 dissimilar pathogens, have been documented (Singh, 1978) in the manure liquids of the
Kathmandu Valley. In the Bagmati river waters, it was noted down that 7.2 × 105 E. co6 per
100ml. Sewages from Banswari Tannery and additional factories are also eroded into the
Bagmati. Respiratory illness and silicosis might be more predominant among local populations
close to location such as the Himal Cement and the Godavari Marble industrial plants in the

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Kathmandu Valley and it is likely that the temperature overturns might be a serious issue that the
Kathmandu valley may face in very near future (Baland et al., 2010).
Action plans and solutions
The following action plans and intervention can be quite useful in order to address the above
mentioned environmental issues in a sustainable ways.
Education and awareness programs against the environment degradation and the growing
population because it is one of the major factor for the degradation of environment.
Internalization of the Environmental Impact Assessment i.e. EIA system must be majorly
used for the development plans and programs.
Economic elements such as subsidies on biogas plants in the rural parts are supposed to
have an optimistic impacts on the environment.
Deliver supplementary concession and extra amenities to the industries and initiatives to
motivate sustainable level of depletion and accept domestic technologies and processes
which may cause optimistic effects on the environment.
Managing the number of vehicles entry every year in the municipalities and color rating
management of vehicles in terms of environmental health system.
Promotion of the usage of low-polluting means of transport and environment- friendly
fuel.
Growth and development of combined settlements for rural and relegated regions and
threatened clusters to keep a balance on the regional distribution of population and
control land deprivation.
Limitation of illegal, unrestrained and unorganized urbanization and settlement
development process.
Involvement towards poverty mitigation by increasing the generation of income.
Utilization of adult-power, take advantage of the local dividend, in local development by
encouraging adults in innovative and productive actions (Angelsen, Larsen and Olsen,
2012).
Conclusion
Thus, it can be concluded that the environmental problems which are found must be minimized
in order to create a sustainable economic development majorly in Nepal. Instant actions must be

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implemented to degrade the environmental issues. It basically affects the living standard of the
people.
References
Angelsen, A., Larsen, H.O. and Olsen, C.S., 2012. Measuring livelihoods and environmental
dependence: Methods for research and fieldwork. Routledge.
Baland, J.M., Bardhan, P., Das, S., Mookherjee, D. and Sarkar, R., 2010. The environmental
impact of poverty: evidence from firewood collection in rural Nepal. Economic Development
and Cultural Change, 59(1), pp.23-61.
Bardsley, D.K. and Hugo, G.J., 2010. Migration and climate change: examining thresholds of
change to guide effective adaptation decision-making. Population and Environment, 32(2-3),
pp.238-262.
Conrad, C.C. and Hilchey, K.G., 2011. A review of citizen science and community-based
environmental monitoring: issues and opportunities. Environmental monitoring and assessment,
176(1-4), pp.273-291.
Malhotra, P., 2010. Water Issues between Nepal, India and Bangladesh. IPCS Special Report.
Massey, D.S., Axinn, W.G. and Ghimire, D.J., 2010. Environmental change and out-migration:
Evidence from Nepal. Population and environment, 32(2-3), pp.109-136.
Middleton, N., 2013. The global casino: An introduction to environmental issues: An
introduction to environmental issues. Routledge.
Mirumachi, N., 2013. Securitising shared waters: an analysis of the hydropolitical context of the
Tanakpur Barrage project between Nepal and India. The Geographical Journal, 179(4), pp.309-
319.