Kathmandu was again on the top of the list on the most polluted cities globally. I could feel it in my lungs and with my eyes. The air, laden with smoke and dust, burnt my nose, and the atmosphere was eerily similar to movie scenes just before a big disaster.
To tackle the issue, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) recommended public to take cautions like staying indoors, wearing mask and avoiding pollution.
On top of this, acting PM held an emergency meeting with experts. They suggested two immediate actions: 1. two days off per week, and 2. revisiting old regulation of odd and even number plates for vehicles.
I am disappointed. These sound like putting band-aid on a bullet wound. But this is our typical Nepali response to a crisis. If you know, you know.
We should do better. We need to do better.
This issue of air pollution is not just one-time event. This is going to a frequent occurrence. We need to deal with this reality. So, I was expecting something more. Maybe it was because the meeting was not with sitting PM but acting PM. But I expected a lot more.
Studies and even the current AQI map of the region shows that the air pollution of Kathmandu is not an isolated event. Air pollution in Kathmandu is bad but we topping the list was not just a local cause and effect.
Even if we are able to control local air pollution, we still need to brace for the regional pollution.
2 days off is a welcome step, but for mental health. This doesn’t seem to hold basis for lower air pollution for me.
The odd-even rule can backfire gloriously with people buying a second vehicle instead of reducing vehicle use.
We need to use this crisis to push for some bold, innovative and sustainable actions.
Making good quality N95 mask available to all is now an urgent need, not a luxury. Cloth mask and surgical mask do not help with the current pollution. Many are not aware which mask to wear and how.
This can be a good opportunity to push for electric vehicles, lower their taxes or have lesser restrictions for them.
We need urban pollution sinks. This can mean more trees, air filtration units in sensitive spaces such as schools, and hospitals, mist cannons or sprinklers, green belts, large-scale air purifiers. We need to find out what works for us.
And we need a lot more funding in research. We need to invest in air purifier technologies, urban forest, air pollution monitoring. We need to know what works and what doesn’t. We need research that on real time pollution monitoring that can forecast when the air pollution is going to get worse so that government can issue public warning ahead. We need to look different immediate solutions during peak pollution such as initiating artificial rain, sprinklers, or even something that has not been looked at yet. We need more research.
We need to move beyond temporary fixes and invest in real solutions.