ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

Figure: 7.9: Vehicle Registered in Nepal300,000250,000200,000Number150,000100,00050,0000Source: DOTM (2005)1989/901990/911991/921992/931993/941994/951995/961996/97YearBusCrain/Dozer/Truck Tipper/Damfar/TankerPickupTempoTractor1997/981998/991999/2000Mini BusCar/Jeep/VanMicroMotorcycleOthers2000/20012001/20022002/20032003/2004km of road in the country as a whole and 96 vehiclesper km of road in the Bagmati zone. Consumption ofpetrol has risen continuously since 1998 with thevehicle fleet increase, but the consumption of dieselhas fluctuated (Table 7.2). The estimatedconsumption figures for the Valley were 80% petroland 27% diesel. Shrestha and Malla (1996) showedthe total annual emission load from thetransportation sector at 12,422 tons—an updatedstudy would be extremely useful. The Valley isespecially vulnerable to air pollution due to its bowlshapedtopography.IndustryThe manufacturing sector is relatively small in Nepal.Its share in national gross domestic product (GDP) isonly 9.5% (CBS 2003). In the 2001/02 census (CBS2002), Nepal had 3,230 industries, of which 1,498were in the central development region and 846 inKathmandu Valley. An emission inventory wasconducted in the Kathmandu Valley in 1993(Shrestha and Malla 1996). At that time the industrialsector in the Valley emitted 3,574 tons of TSP, 5,220tons of CO, 1,492 tons of hydrocarbon, 628 tons ofNO x , and 1,349 tons of SO 2 per year.After closure of the Himal Cement Factory, amajor polluter, the brick industries located south ofthe Valley center are assumed to be the major airpolluting industries, particularly with respect to dustemission. There are about 125 brick kilns operatingin Kathmandu Valley, of which 113 are bull’s trenchtype, 9 are clamp kiln type, and 3 Hoffmann kilns. Asthe manufacturing process in bull’s trench andclamp kilns is very poor and inefficient, the amountof smoke emitted from these kilns is very high. Astudy carried out by Tuladhar and Raut (2002) nearthe vicinity of brick kilns (Tikathali villagedevelopment committee (VDC), Lalitpur) showedthat during the operation of the kilns the level ofpollution was three times higher than on other days(Figure 7.10). Thanks to a cleaner technologyinitiative from an ESPS project initiating use of a newtechnology, suspended particulate matter wasreduced to about 950 μg/m 3 from 2,000 μg/m 3 fromthe kiln. Brick production using the new technologyis costlier, as it requires a large initial investment.However, it is environmentally friendly. The mainadvantages in the new technology are energy costsavings and quality production, which eventuallypays for the initial investment by increasingproduction of grade “A” bricks to over 90% fromaround 40% with the older technology.HouseholdBiomass energy accounts for about 15% of theworld’s primary energy consumption, about 38% ofthe primary energy consumption in developingcountries, and more than 90% of the total ruralenergy supplies in developing countries where largequantities of biomass fuels are used for cooking88 Environment Assessment of Nepal : Emerging Issues and Challenges