Nepal Environment & Tourism Initiative Foundation

1. Background:Nepal is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of bio-diversity due to its unique geographical position and latitudinal variation. The elevation of the country ranges from 60m above sea level to the highest point on earth, the Mt.Everest at 8848m.Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, is one of the most densely populated cities. It is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country. Inside and around the city, we can find many big Hotels, Resorts, Restaurants, Casinos, Lodges, etc.

Naturally and culturally the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas have unique and attractive tourist products. Within a 20km radius there are seven World Heritage Sites, one can see panoramic view of mountain range during the Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking, and can also observe the best Nepal’s rural culture life with minimum equipment. But at the same time it is an obvious fact that Kathmandu has expanded over the last decade with new buildings of all shape. As a result of it, the valley has to witness a difficult situation of fast-growing unplanned urbanization and uncontrolled land development creating lots of problem regarding proper solid and sewage waste management.

Aiming at avoiding its environmental and cultural problems efforts are being made through government and non-government levels. There are some NGOs in Nepal that support tourism and environment related activities working with local communities, government organization and private sectors. “Nepal Environment and Tourism Initiative Foundation (NETIF)” is one of them. This organization has already undertaken few programs regarding tourism and environment in “Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking Trail (KVCTT)” for the sustainable tourism development.

Presently NETIF is working with local communities and encouraging environmental sustainable practices for the promotion of Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking Trail. Some of the noteworthy works includes clean-up campaigns, construction of tourist shelters, installations of incinerators, bins and toilets as well as local capacity building programs including waste management and environment conservation.

2. Introduction of Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking Trail (KVCTT):

Tourism is one of the major industries of the Nepalese economy. It represents a significant position of the gross domestic product. It is highly consumer centered activity. The constant increase of the number of visitors/ tourists has put extra pressure on the local environment and requires the development of additional infrastructure and facilities. Apart from environmental degradation from infrastructure development in the tourist areas, there has been a big challenge of waste management and environment pollution not only from local people but also from hotels, resorts, restaurants etc.

The need has been realized by the organization (NETIF), which is working to promote community based eco-tourism in the area and has developed “Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking Trail (KVCTT)” as one of the major tourism products of the country. In the context of KVCTT, the problem of waste management is one of the big challenges of managing the waste properly to promote responsible tourism in the area. To address those challenges various awareness campaigns like- capacity building trainings for hotels, resorts, lodges and tea-houses, placing environment slogans in the trekking trail are being carried out, incinerators are constructed in the major settlements, waste collection bins are placed throughout the trail. Some of the major activates performed by NETIF to promote eco-friendly tourism and to address waste management related issues in KVCTT are:
• Mushroom and Off seasonal vegetable Cultivation trainings
• Doll making from Corn husk( Waste to Resources)
• Food and Personal Hygiene and Sanitation training in Hotel
• Cleanup campaign in various destinations.
• Workshop organized on Organic farming, Waste Management and Heritage Conservation
• Different research surveys on Solid Waste Management

Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking Trail (KVCTT) passes through a National Park and three other Hill Stations. Since Nagarkot is a typical popular tourist destination as well as part of Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking Trail (KVCTT), this paper is also based on the study of solid waste management situation in Nagarkot.

3. Case Study of Nagarkot:
Nagarkot is situated at an elevation of 2,175 meter above sea level. It is located 32km to east of Kathmandu city. It has been a weekend spot for mountain viewers in quite and comfort. The sunrise viewed from this hill presents the majestic panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges from Mt. Dhaulagiri in the west to the Mt. Everest in the east. Presently there are around 40 tourist standard hotels, resorts, restaurants and tea-houses and numbers are still increasing.

3. 1. Total Waste Generated in Nagarkot

The different categories of solid waste generated from hotels, resorts, restaurants, lodges and shops are classified as biodegradable wastes (food waste, vegetable waste etc.) and non-biodegradable waste (paper, plastic, glass, metals, dust etc). In Nagarkot tourist area, the average total waste generated from different sources is 1453.83 kg/day.


3.2. Waste Collection System in Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants:
The collection of wastes in the hotels and resorts is done by using plastic buckets, metal bins or paper boxes due to the fact that there is no specific type of collection system and most of them have to manage their waste by themselves. Some of the hotels and resorts have solid waste collection system .The wastes are being transported to nearby dumping site. From the survey done for the case study, it was found that almost all hotels are willing to have a specific collection system and two pay charge for the service.

3. 3. Reuse /Recycle
Though reuse and recycle of the waste can help to reduce the amount of the waste it was found that very few hoteliers are aware of it. Some of the hotels, resorts and restaurants are reusing mineral water bottles. Almost all the hotels are selling the empty bottles to the scrap dealers.

3. 4. Problems and Challenges of Waste Management

• The waste is managed in traditional way in hotels, resorts & restaurants,
• There is no such awareness in the public and no strict rules against the waste pollution,
• Management of solid waste is extremely poor and hazardous to health,
• Adoption of general available technology,
• Commitment of waste management by stakeholders.

3. 5. Necessary Steps to Implement for Recycling Programme in Hotel Waste Management

• Identify and quantify recyclable materials currently being thrown away in open land,
• Involving the hotel’s participation in all stages of the recycling program,
• Promote and identify “Green Hotels/Resorts” (which means the hotel who uses resources wisely incorporating energy, water, recycling & water),
• Select products made from recycled materials,
• Purchases energy efficient equipment that causes less environment harm,
• Appointment of a Waste Manager who will be responsible for implementation of procedures & standards of waste management.

4. Conclusion and Recommendations:
Naturally, solid Waste Management is one of the major issues for tourism promotion and also play a major role to save or destroy the beauty of the place. But so far it shows that there has not been adequately considered in practice over this aspects of solid waste management.
Taking into account, the present situation of Nagarkot, it is obvious that solid waste problem has created many serious huddles in tourism development. Thus there is still a need more efforts to address such problem as soon as possible by promoting eco-tourism in “Kathmandu Valley Cultural Trekking Trail” with the involvement of local communities. Taking into conservation all these facts following recommendations are suggested:

• Awareness programs, trainings and workshops should be conducted for waste handling for local community, tourist, staffs of the hotels, resorts, restaurants, tea-houses, local shops etc,
• Habit of waste reduction at source itself should be practiced to reduce solid waste problem. Even the various types of wastes should be segregated at the point of source so that treatment of solid waste would be easier and efficient,
• New technology need to be introduced to recycle and reuse the plastics waste and other mineral water bottles ,
• Incinerators have been placed by NETIF for demonstration purposes which are working well there. More incinerator are required to be placed in various location for burning non-biodegradable waste,
• Since hotels, resorts and restaurants generate relatively high amount of organic wastes, it is recommended for them to adopt compost making technology by them individual basis as well.

References:

• Bhatta Damodar Prasad (June 2006). “Ecotourism in Nepal”, Quality Printers Pvt.Ltd, Kathmandu, Nepal
• GTZ (1988). “Solid Waste Management with People’s participation, An example in Nepal”. Kathmandu: SWMRMC
• ICIMOD and MoEST (2007). “Kathmandu Valley Environment Outlook”
• Manandhar Isha (August 2009). “Study on Solid Waste Management in Tourist Area of Nagarkot”, Kathmandu University

Save Environment in Nepal

Natural rubber is one of the most important raw materials that is important for transportation, industry, defense and medical field in the world. It is used for manufacture of more than 40,000 products including 400 medical devices. It is largely produced from Hevea brasiliensis plantation is South Asia. It is a high value and green material crop for the current era. The world’s rubber needs stand at around 21 million tones per year each supply roughly 50 % of the market.
Based on twenty years research study of Gorakhkali Rubber Industry Ltd. with the joint venture, Sudha Falrus Pvt. Ltd, Jhapa set up 1990 Pioneer Pilot Project, 18 years of yield performance Hevea cultivation is highly potential in Eastern Terai districts of Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari and lower parts of Ilam. Observation from these Pioneer plantation and very encouraging results are now covering only 150 ha in different locations like Budhabare, Dhaijan, Surunga, Prithinagar of Jhapa, Average yield is 1796 kg per hectare, 80 percent of holding by small farmers. Present natural rubber price is $3.50/kg in the international market.
In Nepal, the consumption of natural rubber has been increasing consistently during the last many years. The production so far is 20 ton per year while consumption is 12,000 metric tons (US $ 30 million per year).  It has been estimated that by 2020 AD, the demand of natural rubber is expected to cross 20,000 metric ton per year. The Eastern Terai stretching from North to South several districts indiscriminate degrading (Governments and people) of the natural forest cover and the cultivation practiced by the people has completely denuded vast tracts of land.
We are encouraged by the expansion of rubber cultivation more or less under similar condition in Eastern and North – Eastern States of India. Eastern parts of Terai region could be safely and confidently categorized as suitable for commercial scale. From a preliminary and detailed study, it can be concluded that 15,000 to 20,000 hectares of land in the districts of Jhapa, Morang, Sunsary and low elevation of Ilam (< 450 Meter) could be brought under rubber cultivation which could meet the requirement of natural rubber. Well maintained plantation would yield an average of 2,000 kg of dry rubber per hectare per year. This is equivalent to present price of 5 lakh/ha./year. Economically, production period is 26 years starting from 7^th years of planting. Cost of production of rubber could be relatively low in view of the good availability of land, infra-structure facilities, reasonable cost of labors etc. Ministry of Agriculture and cooperatives (Rubber Board, Nepal) should offer free advisory research, training and extension services at all stages from suitable credit, site selection, nursery establishment, bee-keeping to crop processing, grading, packing, market access, rubber goods manufacturing technology.
Various elements are necessary for the success of small and large holder rubber plantation on a country. Small-holders plantation provide more flexibility and seen more competitive and industrial plantation today. Supporting the organization of  planters and producers in cooperatives and their involvement in initial process.
Bonus payment
Therefore, scientists also recommends other ways of money making from plantation (man made forest) provide timber, rubber seed, oil cake, honey, orchid. The average timber yield from hectare of rubber plantation at the end of the 33 years economic life is 250 cubic meters (30 lakh Rs-equivalent to $40,000). Furthermore, natural rubber help prevent weather related disasters happening in all parts of the global. Natural rubber is a very environmentally friendly tree. It will help us to have interrupted weather, which is good for entire agriculture sector and country.
There are also carbon trading and carbon offset markets. Both are open to investors. It is estimated that the amount of GHG (Green House Gases) offsetting that 10 fast growing rubber trees can provide is equal to the yearly footprint (10 ton carbon) of an average person living in USA and Europe. 500 plant in a hectare mean 500 ton of carbon.
That is $12500 (NRs 9,00,000) direct benefit for rubber growers. One ton of carbon is trading at around US $ 25-30.  The rubber tree absorbs and fixes atmospheric carbon. This is a well recognized service to the environment. So rubber plantation can easily trade in carbon markets.
World scenario
Natural rubber is a main raw material for vehicle tires. 73% of natural rubber produced in the world goes to manufactures tires related products and vehicle components. In 2009, vehicles sales have reduced in the USA and EU but steady increases in Asia, particularly in China and India. Vehicles sales in China increased around 2 million and India sold around one million new vehicles and South America, is estimated to need about 5 million new vehicles per year. Natural rubber has to supply this demand.
The International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) says there will be no decline in natural rubber prices until 2020. Rubber experts will recommend rubber as the top plantation investment of the future. Without delay Nepal Government need implement a massive action plan with the helps of World Bank, USAID, Wal-Mart Foundation or other possible donors for commercial rubber plantation in Nepal. Natural rubber is crop of economically top, socially beneficial and environmentally highly acceptable.

Nepal lacks a peaceful environment

Peace and security are the common factors of development, which affects the whole system of the country. Terrorism, War, disagreements, poor security and no development are the major causes of poverty, violence and unemployment. Nepal still lacks a peaceful environment where common people can live without any fear.
Security of the people is the buzzword along with peace and development. First and foremost, security should be restored in the Nepalese society. This will then open doors to combat poverty and unemployment. Second, massive programs on rehabilitation and economic development should be introduced and implemented.
Nepal's youth, intellectuals, experts and technocrats should join hands for the sole purpose of national development. In fact, national development in various fields and sectors should be dealt by experts and specialists and not politicians. Rather, the bad influence of
political leaders who lack the skill, ability and vision to bring peace and stability in society has affected national development.
Politicians and government officials who abuse their power for private and personal gains should be punished as per set regulations and corrupt administrators should be removed from their posts.
Poverty, violence and unemployment are the real wars that Nepalese people need to fight. These have risen due to Nepal's unstable political climate and the economic crisis. As a result, Nepal's national productivity as well as gross domestic product has shrunk.
The current budget estimates 5 percent growth rate, which does not match the real economy.
There is always a lot of talk on how to combat poverty but no firm steps and implementation of policies take effect. Political leaders, ministers, NGO's and concerned authorities talk much about poverty and ways to combat it. Several seminars, meetings and conferences are held. Yet, if one looks around, poverty has not reduced. Rather, it
appears to be on the rise.
"Each year the government prioritizes fighting poverty in its budget speech. We see poverty alleviation focused even in the preamble of national plans. But the implication of poverty alleviation programs is very weak and ineffective to cope with absolute poverty," said Dr.
Surendra Pradhanang of Nepal.
He further said, "A poverty alleviation fund has been established. Some poverty alleviation programs were started. Due to poor implementation and absence of honesty (in carrying out the programs) the output of the programs has not been very significant. Analytically, despite undertaking the programs, no progress was made in combating poverty."
Inflation on daily consumption goods is very high and unstable. The supply system, which is not good, is mostly blocked and black-marketed in the country. The inflationary rate, it is experienced, is in between 20-30 percent, Pradhanang said.
On the situation in Nepal, Pradhanang said, "Nepal has the provision to provide general standard education to all. But it has not taken any special step on appropriate education and employment programs for children and women. Nepal suffers from a gender disparity where women have less access to educational and health facilities and social
services."
Indeed, Nepal needs to do more to improve education for children and create more employment opportunities for women.

Population, Health, and Environment in Nepal

Resource Identification and Management Society (RIMS) Nepal
Jon Miceler, Managing Director, Eastern Himalayas, World Wildlife Fund

“If you want to bring about conservation of these big, iconic species that need lots of area to roam, you have to work with the people that are living there,” said Jon Miceler at a March 19, 2009, event, “Population, Health, and Environment in Nepal.” Miceler, managing director for the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Eastern Himalayas program, and Rishi Bastakoti, director and co-founder of Resource Identification and Management Society Nepal (RIMS Nepal), discussed their ongoing work on population, health, and environment (PHE) programs in Nepal.

Protecting Tigers in the Terai

To protect endangered Bengal tigers in Nepal, WWF seeks to simultaneously protect the ecosystem and support sustainable livelihoods in the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), a biodiverse region that spans the India-Nepal border. Environmental threats to the Terai include:

• Conversion of forest into farmland;
• Overgrazing;
• Forest fires;
• Excessive extraction of timber and fuelwood;
• Poaching;
• Human-wildlife conflict; and
• Population growth.

The area’s national parks have become isolated islands that “are increasingly surrounded by oceans of people,” Miceler said. “If we really want to preserve something like the tiger, we have to enable the creature to roam, to keep its genetics diverse.” The ultimate goal is to connect the protected areas with a green corridor that will allow the tiger populations to move from one park to another.

“By protecting a tiger—which is what we call an ‘umbrella species’—you’re actually protecting a whole host of species below that, and a whole host of ecosystems that are connected with the tigers,” said Miceler.

Piloting PHE in Khata

In the Khata corridor, a region of the TAL, WWF worked with local leaders and community forest user groups to create a “permanent community-managed health clinic with basic clinical tools,” Miceler said. In addition, the program:

• Distributed 172 arsenic filters to remove naturally occurring arsenic from the groundwater, as well as 44 hand pumps to provide clean drinking water;
• Improved access to family planning services and increased the contraceptive prevalence rate from 43 percent to 73 percent in two years; and
• Provided 136 biogas plants with attached toilets and 100 improved cookstoves, reducing the need for fuelwood, which in turn decreased deforestation and the number of acute respiratory infections.

WWF will be “taking results from the successes we’ve had in the Khata corridor and lessons learned from other PHE projects in other countries to scale them up in other areas of the Terai,” said Miceler.

PHE at the Grassroots Level

“The average fertility rate in Nepal is 3.1,” said Bastakoti of the Nepalese NGO RIMS Nepal. “But it is much higher among the ethnic communities living in the remote areas with low education.”

RIMS Nepal works with 82 community forest user groups in Dhading to improve livelihoods, health, and environmental conservation. Since 2006, the project has:

• Increased the contraceptive prevalence rate from 44 percent to 63.1 percent; and
• Distributed biogas and other improved cookstoves, helping reduce the incidence of acute respiratory illness from 55.5 percent to 5 percent and saving 1,178 metric tons of firewood each year.

RIMS Nepal trained 375 people to be peer educators and community-based distributors of contraceptives. “Local volunteers are key for the success of PHE,” Bastakoti explained. “They become role models for behavioral change.”

In addition, with RIMS Nepal’s help, 24 community forest user groups incorporated PHE activities, including family planning, into their operational plans. The “integration of family planning and health brings added value to conservation, poverty reduction, and livelihood improvement,” said Bastakoti, calling community forest user groups “one of the greatest grassroots-level institutions”—and key to advocating for the PHE approach at the national level.





Overview of Nepal's energy sources and environment

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Asthma environment in Nepal

BACKGROUND—The development of asthma seems to be influenced by the adoption of a Western lifestyle. A study was undertaken to assess the importance of indoor environmental factors in Nepal where the lifestyle and home environment differ from that in the West.
METHODS—The home environment of 121 schoolchildren with asthma and 126 controls aged 11-17 years was studied. The homes of all participants were investigated and the children and their mothers were interviewed using a standardised questionnaire. Cases and controls were identified from an ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood) based population study of 2330 schoolchildren in Kathmandu, Nepal.
RESULTS—Keeping cattle inside the house during the night was related to a lower risk for having asthma (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.2(95% CI 0.1 to 0.5)) while there was no association between asthma and cattle kept outside. Asthma was associated with cigarette smoking by two or more family members (OR 1.9 (95% CI 1.0 to 3.9)) and with the domestic use of smoky fuels (OR 2.2 (95% CI 1.0 to 4.5)). In analyses stratified by sex, passive smoking and the use of smoky fuels were significantly associated with asthma only in boys.
CONCLUSIONS—The risk of asthma in Nepalese children was lower in subjects exposed to cattle kept inside the house and higher in subjects exposed to passive smoking and indoor use of smoky fuels. Childhood exposure to microorganisms or allergens from cattle may protect against the development of atopic disease

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environment policy of nepal

Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has said a new environment protection policy will be formulated so as to protect the country's fragile ecology, The Rising Nepal reported on Sunday.

"We will request the international community to extend their necessary support to Nepal for minimizing the negative impacts of climate change," he was quoted by the daily as saying.

The Premier expressed the view while inaugurating the program to mark the World Environment Day 2010 organized by the Ministry of Environment on Saturday.

Nepal said that the local administration, non-government organizations, civil society members and other concerned stakeholders have an important role to play in managing the environment properly.

He said that the country's sustainable development would be impossible raising awareness among the grassroots level people about benefits of environment management.

Linking politics with environment, he said that political instability could create negative impact on environment conservation as unstable political situation led to poverty, overpopulation and various other social and ecological problems.

He blamed that the rich countries were responsible for the emission of such a harmful gas. "The poor countries are facing a dangerous situation," he said.

He further said that the livelihood of the people living in the Himalayan region was at crisis due to environmental problems.

"So, to save the developing countries from negative effects of climate change, a united voice of all the stakeholders is necessary," he said.

He called for drawing attention of more people towards tree plantation in order to make the environment better.

World Environment Day was marked amid various programs on Saturday in Nepali capital Kathmandu.

Ministry for Environment organized a special program on the occasion.

Speaking at the program, Prime Minister Madav Kumar Nepal said that the internal management should be strong and awareness should be increased for the environment conservation.

He underscored the environment as being an integral part of development and progress of the country and also encouraged tree plantation for the sake of environment.

He said that development will be impossible if environment is ignored.

Similarly, "Nepal Environment Week" campaign was held from May 30 to June 5 with the slogan "Awareness with Innovation."

The campaign focused on raising awareness and advocating people in different environment issues in a different way with innovation.

Various programs were organized throughout the week such as art caravan, environment counseling, documentary show, musical parade for environment, plastic collection campaign, online literary competition, roadside debate.