Clean Air Is A Right

Everybody deserves the right to breathe clean, fresh air. It is a basic human right present in our Constitution, which explicitly guarantees every citizen the right to live in a clean and healthy environment. It even assures the victim the right to obtain compensation, in accordance with the law, for any injury caused by environmental pollution or degradation. 

The government has also acknowledged this crisis in its Sixteenth Plan, aiming to strengthen air quality standards through effective monitoring and regulation of air-polluting emissions. Despite these commitments and policies, many Nepalis are still struggling to breathe.

In recent days, the Kathmandu Valley has been covered in a grey haze. The elevated Air Quality Index (AQI) in the valley has put it firmly in the “unhealthy” category. The pollution is driven primarily by microscopic PM 2.5 particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, causing serious health risks.

The effects of air pollution can be felt in our health at the individual level and in the economy as a whole. It increases health care burdens while impacting productivity. The effects of pollution have also been felt at major tourist spots, such as Pokhara, where mountain ranges are frequently obscured by air pollution. The World Bank estimates that pollution reduces Nepal’s GDP by over 6 per cent each year.

The main culprits behind this crisis are industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust, cooking smoke, and seasonal forest fires. Nepal also struggles with transboundary pollutants coming from neighbouring countries. The Plan recognises unplanned urbanisation, uncontrolled infrastructure construction, increasing forest fires and waste burns in agricultural land, increasing use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and open disposal of urban and industrial wastes or dumping in rivers as causes of environmental pollution.

Years of promises without follow-through have left us stuck in this toxic reality. The newly elected government will have to take action to ensure our basic rights are protected. The Rastriya Swatantra Party’s manifesto in its bold 100-point “Citizen Contract” has recognised the issue of air pollution. They pledge to bring pollution under control by strictly enforcing emission norms, banning open waste burning, promoting safer household fuels, and engaging neighbours in cross-border pollution management. It is important to ensure this pledge is reflected in reality.

The impacts of pollution are immediate and personal: burning eyes, chronic coughs, asthma attacks, etc. It can also result in cardiovascular disease and long-term damage to the lungs and heart. In Nepal, air pollution surpasses malnutrition and tobacco as the deadliest risk factor, fueling chronic diseases that devastate families and communities. 

However, short-term measures can provide certain relief. The solutions can be stopping dust-generating construction during peak pollution, sprinkling water on streets, enforcing strict vehicle rules, and issuing health advisories. On an individual level, limiting outdoor activities, wearing a mask, and using an air purifier can be beneficial. 

However, for long-term sustainable quality of life, these actions must be paired with structural reforms such as strengthening governance and enforcement, creating an environment and infrastructure for clean technology adoption, and offering incentives for transition to clean energy, as advised by the World Bank. 

Until then, Kathmandu waits for rain each time the sky turns grey, hoping for temporary relief. But a city should not have to depend on the weather to breathe because clean air is not a luxury; it is a right.