Prabas changes his paper facemask mundanely to avoid the smoke that he inadvertently inhales with air. During the normal breathing, one cannot shun the smoke and dust in the air. That is why most of the people in Kathmandu veneer their face with a mask.
“I feel suffocated to wear a facemask, but I need to wear to avoid the consequences of inhaling poor air,” Prabas says. He complains it has been four consecutive years inhaling dust and smoke of Balkhu-Kalanki; the road section that tops the chart of the most polluted section in the city. The same place where he has been living and needs to travel back and forth from college. “Catching a cold and getting coughs are a weekly routine and now due to which I even know the name of cough syrup and antipyretic drugs that doctor recommend during check-ups,” he adds.
A few months back, after continuously coughing for a few days, I was forced to take an appointment with the doctor. Perhaps, the doctor had to face similar cases like mine without a sophisticated diagnosis only after diagnosing visible symptoms–doctor confidently said it was a dust allergy. Cynical to his recommendations I insisted on check-ups, but everything came normal in the report. It was the insalubrious air making me unhealthy. Ironically, my doctor recommended avoiding dust and smoke and use a mask wherever I go. However, the dust and smoke are ubiquitous in the air of Kathmandu and it is almost impossible to avoid.
There is nothing new about the poor air quality of Nepal. The air quality is poor since the outset of rapid unplanned urbanization, industrialization, and motorization. The 2018 Global Environment Performance Index ranks Nepal as worst in the quality of air, with the country being ranked at the bottom among 180 countries whose air quality was examined. Nepal stands at 176th just above India (177th), Dem. Rep Congo (178th), Bangladesh (179th) and Burundi (180th).
As almost 5 million people live in Kathmandu and a large proportion of people own vehicles: either two-wheeler or four-wheeler. These are fossil fuel operated that emits the harmful fumes and load up in the atmosphere which the regular commuters inhale. Since the inception of the land, there are no fossil fuel industries in Nepal. With no proven petroleum reserves for commercial exploitation, the internal consumption is fulfilled by the import of fossils mainly from India. The petroleum products are imported in the refined form for consumption.
Dust and smoke are disproportionately distributed in Kathmandu that is why we all are facing consequences. In the urban area, the harmful gases emitted by vehicles exacerbated by unplanned urbanization are major cause whereas in the peri-urban area the untrammeled release of poisonous gases from brick kilns causes insidious damage to a human in the form of respiratory problems, heart disease, eye infections and many other chronic diseases.
While the WHO threshold for Particulate Matter (PM) below 2.5 microns is 10 µg/m3, Nepal has calibrated national standard and set at 40 ug/m3. However, it is horrendous that there are several reports the threshold, mark of 40 ug/m3, is breached usually. Thanks to the fossil operated vehicles as they contribute 38 percent of air pollution.
According to the Department of Health Service, in 2072/73, 8,909 people died from pneumonia and 7,837 from respiratory infections. Experts fear the number will rise in future since there is no sign of immediate improvement of air quality.
Bob Dylan’s famous song Blowin’ in the Wind goes:
“How many deaths will he take till he knows that too many people have died.”
Even one life is precious but there are thousands dying although people have the right to inhale fresh air. His another line is meaningful again:
“answer is in the wind”.
Similarly, the answer to the increasing incidence of respiratory patients lies in the quality of air. The main culprit is the release of harmful fumes from the vehicles, aggravated by unplanned development works. This could subside by replacing them with electronic vehicles, which are environmentally friendly and sustainable mode of transport. The government should make the paradigm shift to solve the problem, cut the import of the fuels, and invest in sustainable resources like hydropower and solar energy.
Until the government works on the issue, seriously to solve the pressing problem of quality air, facemask will remain the culture but how long will the facemask prevent the filthy air tarnishing the lungs and other vital organs of people living in Kathmandu?
Susan Thapa
