KATHMANDU – It’s been over five months since Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli declared ‘Nepal Clean Environment mega-Campaign’ on the occasion of world environment day on June 5. Though the campaign was launched with the objective of making the country clean and pollution-free, its implementation has not made any progress.
The Ministry of Forest and Environment launched the ‘Nepal Clean Environment mega-Campaign 2075’ to run various campaigns of garbage management, pollution control, and greenery promotion in an integrated manner to make the country clean and green and in the line with the constitutional provision of people’s right to live in a clean and healthy environment.
Inaugurating the mega-campaign, Prime Minister KP Oli said the government is mindful of taking ahead the sustainable development by maintaining environmental balance. He added the government will work in environmental sector by taking into account the future generations.
At the program, Minister for Forest and Environment Shaskti Bahadur Basnet said the government launched ‘Nepal Clean Environment mega-Campaign’ across the country to reduce pollution and increase greenery through environment conservation. However, the points mentioned in the action plan have not been implemented though six months have elapsed since the campaign was launched.
“Littering and dumping garbage at public places will be completely banned and garbage would be managed properly by working in coordination with the local level and concerned bodies,” the campaign states. Ironically, one can witness the littering in different places of the country’s capital Kathmandu, let alone other places. The government bodies do not seem bothered to control the such state of affairs.
Besides, the campaign states that the cities including Kathmandu Valley would be made clean and beautiful by managing the garbage and controlling dust, sound and air pollution. This too seems confined in the campaign.
Kathmandu valley has become even dirtier because of the delay in collecting garbage by Kathmandu Metropolitan City and other cities. Though Kathmandu Metropolitan City brought broomer machines, they have not been brought into operation yet.
The idea of investing in herbal medicines refinery based on bamboo, and pine as part of the plan to make Kathmandu green and free from dust and smoke green seems to have been put on the back burner.
The government had announced to ban plastics below 30 microns but it has remained only in the plan.
Moreover, the government’s plan to plant fruits and multipurpose plants along the roads, irrigation canal, riverbanks, and open spaces to promote greenery has not shown any sign of progress.
KMC has planted trees in certain public places in each and every ward and some other local bodies have planted trees in their respective places. Apart from that, there has not been any plantation. The trees have been planted under the local bodies’ annual plans and programs.
Similarly, the plan to strictly enforce the system to curb blowing of dust during the construction of roads and buildings has not come to naught.
Apart from cleaning certain parts of ring road and buying machines to clean dust and water by Kathmandu Metropolitan, nothing substantial has been done. Even the broomer machines and the pumps to remove dirty water have not been utilized.
Information officer at Environment Department, Shankar Poudel, admits the failure to make progress in the campaign. “We have prepared the working guidelines and sent it to the ministry. But not much has been done about the campaign,” says Poudel. “We are trying our best to keep the environment clean.”
Why the campaign couldn’t be implemented?
An official at the Ministry of Environment said the campaign is nationwide and will take some time as it is in the process of implementation. He said the government has implemented various programs across the country for keeping the environment clean and the campaign is a part of it.
Information Officer at the Ministry, Suman Subedi says the campaign couldn’t be implemented in the first four months because of the organizational reshuffle. “The Ministry has approved the program. In the first four months, secretariats had to be reshuffled,” he says. “The task of preparing working guidelines, amending it and delegating various programs to province has been completed.”
Subedi hopes that the plan will come into effect very soon as all necessary preparations of the campaign have been completed. “We’ve mall all our internal preparations, the environment department will soon implement the campaign,” he says.
The Civil Code implemented earlier in August has a provision that criminalizes environmentally harmful conduct. Clause (112.1) of the Code states that no one should produce, emit or pile garbage that will have substantial environmental pollution. Anyone found involved in such activities or violating the law will have to face one-year jail sentence or fine of Rs 10,000 or both. But its implementation is too weak.
