Over 500 industries skip air, water tests

By Shashidhar Parajuli,Biratnagar, May 10: Air pollution has reached alarming levels in the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor as most of the more than 550 industries operating in the area have been found violating environmental standards. 

Travelling along the road from Biratnagar to Itahari and from Biratnagar to Rangeli has become difficult in some places, with passengers forced to cover their noses and struggling to breathe due to foul air. 

Untreated wastewater discharge and smoke coming directly from industries are not only affecting locals but also posing serious health risks to workers and employees within the industries themselves.

The Environment Protection Act, 2019 and Environment Protection Regulations, 2020 require every industry to conduct air and water quality tests every six months and submit self-monitoring reports to the Department of Environment. However, more than 500 industries in the corridor have completely ignored these legal provisions and are not even carrying out pollution tests.

In the current fiscal year 2025/26, only 14 industries in Koshi Province have conducted tests and submitted reports. Among them, Reliance Spinning Mills, Hulas Wires, Tricot Industries, Prajyakom Pvt. Ltd., Surya Nepal, Upahaar Feeds and Bottlers Nepal (Tarai) are located within the corridor area. 

Apart from these, hydropower projects in the hilly region have also been found to regularly conduct air pollution monitoring. Only around 30 industries operating in the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor have been carrying out regular air and water quality tests and taking initiatives to control pollution. 

Around one and a half dozen industries have conducted tests this fiscal year but are yet to submit reports to the department, while a large number of industries have not even begun the testing process.

Amid rising pollution, Duhabi Municipality in Sunsari has recently shown some initiative. Following an executive decision, the municipality sent notices to all industries directing them to compulsorily conduct air and water quality tests and control pollution, after which some industries have begun testing. 

However, Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City, Budhiganga Rural Municipality, Biratnagar Metropolitan City and Katahari Rural Municipality, which also fall within the corridor, have yet to take any mandatory measures to ensure industries maintain environmental standards. 

As a result, industries such as jute, yarn, iron melting, cement, liquor and plastic factories continue to pollute beyond permissible limits.

Industries are required to keep levels of fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), total suspended particles (TSP), and sulphur and nitrogen oxides (SOx and NOx) within government-set limits. 

Dust particles smaller than 10 micrometres should not exceed 120 micrograms per cubic metre, while finer 2.5 micrometre particles should remain below 40 micrograms per cubic metre. 

However, due to the absence of testing, the actual concentration of these toxic substances in the corridor’s air remains unknown. Exposure to such polluted air increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, eye irritation and serious skin diseases among local residents.

The government has legal provisions to fine industries up to Rs. 5 million for failing to comply with environmental standards. However, due to weak monitoring and lack of effective penalties, the provision appears to exist only on paper.

Nationwide data also paint a worrying picture. In the previous fiscal year 2024/25, only 159 industries conducted air and water pollution tests, while only 143 industries had done so by mid-March of the current fiscal year.

Stakeholders have expressed concern that industries, focused solely on commercial profit, are undermining citizens’ right to breathe clean air.