ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

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IUCNElizabeth Khaka, UNEP-NairobiRural energy past and future: clockwise from top-collecting firewood for cooking (top); a simple peltric set canprovide electricity for lighting in remote villages; improved cooking stoves reduce firewood useA. Beatrice Murray78 Environment Assessment of Nepal : Emerging Issues and Challenges
enewable energy sources could contributesubstantially to self-sufficiency. In reality, however,Nepal has not been able to harness its indigenoussources adequately and cost-effectively with twoundesirable results—the energy available in themarket is costly, and rural and poor people continueto depend on traditional biomass sources.Relying more on indigenous renewable energysources has a number of advantages. In addition toenvironmental benefits, such sources are lesssusceptible than imported fossil fuels to pricefluctuations and foreign exchange rates, and theiruse means minimizing the risk of supply interruptiondue to external factors. But their development anduse are constrained by the lack of national priority aswell as inadequate national capacity in terms offinance, technologies, and institutions. Renewableenergy sources (hydro, biomass, solar, and wind)require a much higher priority in national energyprograms.Having an Appropriate Mix of EnergySourcesEach energy source has desirable and undesirableenvironmental, economic, technical, and socialdimensions. No single source is likely to satisfy alltypes of energy needs for all groups of users at alllocations. Therefore, dependence on one sourcealone is not sustainable in the long run. Energyneeds, availability, and costs can change over time.The long-term strategy, therefore, should encouragea suitable mix of sources, including hydropower,improved biomass use, solar, and other sources, thatsatisfies current and emerging demand and includesthe necessary flexibility to respond to changingcontexts. The energy mix desirable today couldchange over time with changing needs and advancesin technology.Reducing Consumption throughIncreasing EfficiencyCurrent energy consumption in Nepal is heavilydependant on biomass. Two issues related to this arefirst that biomass is used in a wasteful and inefficientmanner that affects the health of consumers, andsecond, that although biomass is a renewablesource, its supply is limited and cannot continue tomeet growing demand without adverse impacts onthe environment, economy, and health. Theconsumption and demand of non-biomass,commercial energy such as electricity and petroleumhave been gradually increasing and this has beenmet by a corresponding increase in supplies, butefficiency in end-use has hardly receivedconsideration.Efficient use of energy is probably moreimportant in the long run than increasing supplies.Promotion of energy efficiency in the production,supply, and consumption stages will not only reduceor check increases in demand, but will also havepositive impacts on environment and health. Energyefficiency should be an integral part of nationalenergy development and environmental policies.One constraint to promoting energy saving andefficient use is the cost of energy conservationtechnologies and end-use devices that, mostcommonly, have to be imported. Investment inenergy conservation and improved technologies andmeasures can save money over time because therewill be reductions in the investment to increasesupply. Improving efficiency can be less costly thaninvesting in new projects to supply increasing energydemand.Many energy efficiency measures, however,may cost little or nothing to implement—quite oftenenergy can be saved simply by demand-sidemanagement. For example, differential pricing foruse of electricity during peak and off-peak hours orduring the monsoon when hydropower supply isgreatest and winter when it is limited can promotemore rational consumption behavior. Improvedcooking stoves can substantially reduce fuelwoodconsumption in rural areas in addition to theirbenefiting health. These principles, however, shouldbe applied in such a way as not to impededevelopment.Constraints. Pursuing the sustainable andenvironmentally sound energy path that enshrinesthese principles is not easy in the present nationaland global economic structure. This will requireclarity as to how such an energy policy can be linkedwith sustainable development. For example,transport and industry are important for nationaldevelopment and are the major consumers ofpetroleum and coal, which are not only imported butalso environmentally undesirable. With the rightpolicy, transport can be promoted in a way thatconsumes energy from indigenous renewablesources like hydroelectricity.Availability of funds and national willpower toimplement the policy is another basic requirement.Most of the technologies will have to be purchasedfrom more developed countries, which will be amajor constraint for a country like Nepal. Initially,foreign assistance may be mobilized. Buildingnational capacity in renewable energy technologiesand manufacturing energy-efficient devices shouldbe at the top of the energy development agenda.Energy price. Price at the consumption point isprobably the most important factor influencingenergy consumption behavior. Pricing policy shouldChapter 6: Energy Resources79
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About the OrganisationsAsian Develo
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© 2006 International Centre for In
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AcknowledgementsWe would like to ex
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PM2.5PAHRSSAARCSACEPSEASO 2TSPUKUND
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Chapter 6: Energy Resources 65Intro
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List of FiguresFigure 2.1: People a
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Table 6.1: Energy Consumption and P
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forests are also used for infrastru
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as data gathered by different agenc
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Table 2.1: Population Growth Rates
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mortality rates for rural and urban
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Agglomeration village in the centra
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soil erosion, and depletion of wate
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provision remains inadequate becaus
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Malnutrition remains a serious obst
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Table 2.24: Existing and Projected
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Table 2.28: Income Poverty Indicato
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Table 2.31: Change in Employment St
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In 2004, the average annual househo
Page 42 and 43: Mountain areas have the most food i
Page 44 and 45: Schaffner, U. 1987. “Road Constru
Page 46 and 47: Table 3.1: Agricultural Economic De
Page 48 and 49: Table 3.4: Estimated Soil Erosion R
Page 50 and 51: B. PradhanImpacts of land degradati
Page 52 and 53: Carson, B. 1985. “Erosion and Sed
Page 54 and 55: The trend of forest coverage in the
Page 56 and 57: BiodiversityState of BiodiversityNe
Page 58 and 59: The Government has given legal prot
Page 60 and 61: Different ways of maintaining biodi
Page 62 and 63: ———.2004. State of the Enviro
Page 64 and 65: Appendix 4.1: Table continuedMajor
Page 66 and 67: Appendix 4.2: Protected Plant and W
Page 68 and 69: Table A4.2.3: Nepal's Share in Plan
Page 70 and 71: to intense weathering, and percolat
Page 72 and 73: Table 5.5: Water Supply and Water T
Page 74 and 75: Table 5.9: Water Quality of Shallow
Page 76 and 77: species are reported to be endanger
Page 78 and 79: Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR).
Page 80 and 81: Definition, Forms, and UnitsEnergy
Page 82 and 83: Table 6.5: Hydropower PotentialRive
Page 84 and 85: Chilime Hydroelectric Project: An E
Page 86 and 87: load occurs from 6 pm to 9 pm with
Page 88 and 89: assessment of wind energy and lack
Page 90 and 91: Review of Dams and Development by t
Page 94 and 95: therefore reflect the three guiding
Page 96 and 97: is a seasonal dust storm. Anthropog
Page 98 and 99: Figure 7.3: Average Air Quality, Ja
Page 100 and 101: matter, hydrocarbons, and NO x (Nae
Page 102 and 103: Figure: 7.9: Vehicle Registered in
Page 104 and 105: Brick Kilnchlorofluorocarbons (HCFC
Page 106 and 107: Climate ChangeA region’s climate
Page 108 and 109: Figure 7.14: Mean Annual Precipitat
Page 110 and 111: Table 7.3: National Ambient Air Qua
Page 112 and 113: India. Available: http://www.cleana
Page 114 and 115: ———.1999. “Ambient Air Qual
Page 116 and 117: Appendix 7.1: World Health Organiza
Page 118 and 119: Table 8.1: Criteria for Urban Statu
Page 120 and 121: accommodate the rapidly increasing
Page 122 and 123: managing solid waste. They are part
Page 124 and 125: In most municipalities, hazardous w
Page 126 and 127: in worsening public health conditio
Page 128 and 129: objects of archaeological, historic
Page 130 and 131: Min BajracharyaB. PradhanVehicles a
Page 132 and 133: Department of Health Services (DOHS
Page 134 and 135: Table 9.1 describes the major highl
Page 136 and 137: the period to up 2017. The document
Page 138 and 139: earthquakes; and awareness raising
Page 140 and 141: Sub-regional LinkagesOther developi
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Figure 9.1: The Key Environmental I
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(iv)(v)(vi)plants, and other non-ti
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environmental governance can be bet
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can vary considerably. Both sides h
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Dhungel, D.N., and A.B. Rajbhandari
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Table A9.1.2: Industry-Specific Tol
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. Cultural Heritage8. Convention fo
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Appendix 9.3: Some Prominent Enviro
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Some funding arrangements made by t
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(NARDF 2004) for a period of 1 to 3
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Table 10.2: Annual Income and Expen
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Table 10.4: Users’ Share in Benef
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From Hands Around Everest bookFrom
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Table 10.8: Subsidy Rate for Biogas
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microorganism communities and the n
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subsidies (Mason 1996). All these a
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addressed only part of the problem.
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historical practice of community-ma
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moved or relocated. The fact that s
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Kathmandu Valley and receives a lar
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cooperative ventures provided neith
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further poaching has not been repor
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http://www.pugwash.org/reports/pac/
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United Nations. 2003. World Populat
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how other countries with substantia
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(i) Broad-based and sustainable eco
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Although progress is encouraging, m
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Nepal’s Changing Pattern of Trade
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Table 12.2: Trade/ GDP RatiosFY1981
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Table 12.5: Percentage Share of Maj
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well as other provisions in specifi
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Future Implications for NepalIncrea
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International Trade Forum (ITN). 20
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- Gross domestic product per unit e
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Time Series InformationGenerally tw
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Table 13.1a: Different Datasets Col
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elevant due to its multidisciplinar
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Figure 13.6: Examples of Applicatio
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Judith DobmannThere are many source
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———.2003. Mapping Nepal Censu
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sustainable livelihoods requires an
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and haphazard. Population pressures
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issue. These deficiencies stem from
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population must be assessed. MOEST
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Appendix 14.1: List of Key Environm
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(vii) The EIA report approving agen
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Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty a
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Nepal’s Progress Towards the MDGs
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Goal 4: Reduce child mortalityReduc
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