Date: 14 October 2018
Time: 16:00-18:10
Hall: TBC
Environment pollution is of rising concern to thriving cities of Nepal. Rapid but unplanned urbanization is adding polluting agents to environment in an alarming rate. Unsafe disposal of hazardous and biomaterials is also worsening the cleanliness of the environment. City inhabitants are already experiencing nontrivial impact of geometric growth of contaminants in air and water. Negative consequences of pollution is now spilling over to sub-urban and village areas. The symposium will mainly discuss the current state of pollution in air and water resources, environmental policies of the government of Nepal and effective environment restoration mechanisms.
Focus:
Environment Pollution, Government Policy for Clean Environment, Policy Gaps, NRN Experts’ Role
Background:
Environment pollution is of a serious concern to thriving cities of Nepal. Rapid, but unplanned, urbanization, increasing number of vehicles and energy consumption, emissions from industries, heating, and burning woods and other trash materials, trans-boundary air pollution; chemical uses in agriculture, poor and failing septic systems, exposed ground surfaces leading to excessive dust in the air, poor disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, and other activities are leading to environmental degradation at an alarming rate. Environmental pollution is degrading air, water, and soil quality in addition to damaging wildlife habitat, and deteriorating recreational uses of natural resources. Environmental pollution has not only threaten public health, it is adversely affecting the aesthetics, tourism, ecological integrity, and economic activities in the cities. Unsafe disposal of hazardous and biomaterials is spreading highly toxic substances which are often long lasting in the environment. City inhabitants are already experiencing nontrivial impact of geometric growth of contaminants in air and water, and, there is a strong public call for immediate control on environmental pollution and ecological restoration. Negative consequences of pollution is now spilling over to sub-urban and village areas. The symposium will focus mainly in Kathmandu Valley and its peri-urban areas and will discuss the current state of air, water, and soil pollution; solid wastes, hazardous waste management, sewage treatment, Underground Storage Tanks, storm water management, and relevant policy papers including environmental remediation and restoration. The symposium expects to come up with a comprehensive view of Environmental Pollution of Nepal but focusing on Kathmandu Valley based on scientific findings and eventually lay grounds for future environmental research and develop policy guidelines in a very coordinated and effective way. This symposium intends to bring knowledge, skills and technologies from Nepalese diaspora across the globe to a common platform where Nepalese environmental scientists, researchers, and policy makers and other stakeholders bring their on-the-ground experiences, scientific understandings, remediation measures, and policy issues in relation to environmental pollution and its control.
Coordinators:
Dr Mahesh Rupakheti, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Germany
Dr Durga D. Poudel, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
Dr Udhab Raj Khadka, Asta-Ja Research and Development Center, Kathmandu, Nepal
Symposium 4: Enviornmental Pollution 14 October 2018, 16:00-18:10, Malhar Hall |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Chair: Er Ganesh Shah, Moderator: Dr Udhab Khadka | ||||
Speaker/panelist | Topic | Institute | ||
Guest | Bidya Sundar Shakya, Mr | Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan city | ||
Invited | Maheswar Rupakheti Dr, Yadav P Joshi Dr | Air pollution in Nepal: A major challenge to national development goals | SusKat, IASS, Berlin, Germany | maheswar.rupakheti@iass-potsdam.de |
Rapid Fire | Shila Maskey | Environmental effects of nanoparticle exposures: Development of a method for characterization of PM 2.5 produced from biomass burning | Department of Environmental Science, Patan Multiple Campus, Lalitpur, Nepal | sheilamaskey@gmail.com |
Rapid Fire | Bhupendra Das | Municipal solid waste open burning and its impact on human health and climate in Nepal | Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal | bhupenids@gmail.com |
Rapid Fire | Shristi Shrestha | Assessment of indoor air pollution and associated health impacts in households equipped with and without biogas: A case from Amlekhganj, Nepal | Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal | shresthashristi02@gmail.com |
Rapid Fire | Ranjit Pariyar | In-vehicle air pollution of passenger vehicles in Kathmandu Valley | Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal | Ranjit.p2047@gmail.com |
Rapid Fire | Rashmita Shakya | Characterization of Ledachate and water samples collected form landfill sites and surrounding sater bodies in Kathmandu | Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal | shakyarashmita@ymail.com |
Contributed | Nabin Aryal | Biogas upgrading technology in the context of Nepal | Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University, Hangovej 2, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark | aryalnabin@gmail.com |
Rapid Fire | Nirmal Babu Aryal | Qualitative and quantitative gap assessment of soil waste generation and Disposal in Kathmandu and Lalitpur of Nepal | Kathmandu University | nirmal.aryal@student.ku.edu.np |
Rapid Fire | Sandila Shrestha | Biogas production for organic waste management: A case study of canteen's organic waste management technical support center, Lalitpur, Nepal | Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal | sandilashrestha@gmail.com |
Contributed | Sher Bahadur Gurung | Quantification of nonpoint source pollution from urban catchments and evaluation of green technologies to reduce the negative impacts of urbanization | Kongju National University | gurungsb@kongju.ac.kr |
Panel Discussion and Q&A | Bhusan Tuladhar, Mr, Purna Subedi, Maheswar | UN-HABITAT, KATHMANDU, NEPAL | bhushan.tuladhar@gmail.com | |
Bishnu Chapagain, Dr | Nyayik Sansar, Asta Ja RDC, Kathmandu, Nepal | bishnu.bgu@gmail.com | ||
BN Oli, Dr | Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Environment | bn_oli@yahoo.com | ||
Keshab Paudel, Dr | Medical Director at Lovelace Health System. | keshab_paudel@hotmail.com | ||
Udhab Khadka, Dr | Asta Ja, RDC, Kathmandu Nepal | udhabk@yahoo.com | ||
Bidya Sundar Shakya, Mr | Special Remarks | Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan city | ||
Summary | Ganesh Shah, Er | shahganesh@gmail.com | ||
Poster | Ashish Singh | Field evaluation of air quality sensor in the Kathmandu Valley | SusKat, IASS, Berlin, Germany | Ashish.Singh@iass-potsdam.de |
Poster | Bhupendra Lama | Drinking water quality analysis, community survey and sanitary inspection of Gundu drinking water scheme, Bhaktapur, Nepal | Central Department oof Microbiology, IOST, TU | bhupendralama0116@gmail.com |
Poster | Durga D. Poudel, Arjun Aryal, Sahas Shrestha, Prem Bhandari, and Ajay Bhandari | Asta-Ja USA initiative for Kathmandu Valley environmental pollution control | Asta-Ja USA | ddpoudel@gmail.com |
Poster | Keshav Parajuli, Dr | Kathmandu’s persistent waste problem and how to tackle it | United Nations University, Germany | Parajuli@vie.unu.edu |
Poster | Khadak Mahata | Making invisible visible- emerging ozone pollution in the Kathmandu Valley | SusKat, IASS, Berlin, Germany | Khadak.Mahata@iass-potsdam.de |
Poster | Maiya Pahari | Current status of solid waste management in Ratnanagar Municipality | Kathmandu University | maiya14pahari@gmail.com |
Poster | Sujan Sapkota | Impact of climate change on glaciers: A caste study of Hidden Valley, Nepal | Kathmandu University | sujansapkota27@gmail.com |
Poster | Yadav P Joshi, Dr; Maheswar Rupakheti, Dr; Amod Pokhrel, Dr; Anobha Gurung, Dr; Rudra P Arya, Dr; Puru Shrestha, Dr | Air pollution in Nepal: A major challenge to National development goals | NRNA USA | yadavjoshi@gmail.com; purushrestha05@gmail.com |
Poster | Rasmila Kawan, Parth Sarathi Mahapatra, Siva Praveen Puppala, Arnico K. Panday, Rainer Sauerborn | Biomass smoke effects on cardiovascular health of the women in rural villages of Lumbini, Nepal | ICIMOD, Khumaltar, Nepal, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Germany | Rasmila.kawan@gmail.com |
Poster | Deepak Lohani, Yadav Prasad Joshi, Puru Shrestha | SaGa technology: An effective technique in organic waster management in Nepal | Organic Life, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, Nepal | deepak.lohani@gmail.com |