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Open Air network

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We've built 250 weather and air quality stations for the Baltimore area. The stations measure temperature, relative humidity, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide- we call them WeatherCubes. They are stationed throughout the Baltimore area and send information in near-real time.

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temperature
relative humidity, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide

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• Less expensive ($100 to $5,000)

• Highly portable and easy to operate (often mobile)

• Require minimal training to start collecting data

• Inexpensive to operate

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EPA is a science leader in the development and improvement of instruments, methods, techniques and other tools to measure and monitor air quality and evaluate air emissions to protect public health and the environment from air pollution. Measurement research is advancing the ability to determine the composition of sources of air pollution, conduct exposure assessments, improve monitoring capabilities and support public health research, among other applications. Research is being conducted to:

Develop and evaluate new and improved air measurement technologies and capabilities to enable air quality regulators and managers to effectively address air quality issues.

Collect air pollution emissions data from designated sources to expand the emissions inventory in the US and build understanding of atmospheric chemistry for use in making decisions to protect air quality.

Develop innovative air sensor technology and analysis tools to improve the availability and accessibility of air quality measurement technology for communities and citizen scientists.

High quality air pollution data is needed by air regulators and managers to implement the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and develop effective preventive and mitigation strategies to protect air quality. Understanding what is in the air near sources of pollution such as industrial applications, oil and gas production facilities, coal-fired power plants and highways is critical to safeguard public health and the environment from six common air pollutants and other hazardous air pollutants regulated by EPA.

EPA is advancing air measurement technologies and capabilities to assist states, communities and tribes with air quality monitoring. EPA and state and local agencies are using the research and technology to:

Monitor compliance with the air quality standards

Conduct emissions characterization research

Identify effective pollution prevention and control strategies

Develop global emissions inventories

Develop the next generation regulatory and compliance strategies

The research spans a wide range of technical knowledge and capabilities including:

Next Generation Air Measurement Technologies

EPA is advancing lower cost and portable air measurement technology to enhance monitoring capabilities for complying with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The technology is providing mobile and stationary real-time measurement capabilities that can be used to assess air quality of common pollutants and air toxics in a specific area such as around an industrial facility, oil and gas operation, rail yard or port. Air sensor equipment can be set up individually or as a sensor network in an area to provide fenceline monitoring.

Research projects include:

Mobile Air Measurement Systems: The Geospatial Measurement of Air Pollution (GMAP) research program uses vehicles with integrated high time-resolution air pollution instrumentation to quantify source emissions and local scale air pollution trends near roadways, rail yards, ports, industrial facilities, oil and gas production, and other large area sources. As part of a partnership with ACLIMA, Inc., EPA is participating in the advancement of mobile air sensor technology using Google street view cars. Real-time data collected throughout a city can offer new insights into air quality at the street level. Researchers are improving the ability to collect data on air pollutants and determine what types of sensors work best and how they can be used in indoor and outdoor environments.

Aclima, Inc. overview

Research on Near Roadway and Near Source Air Pollution

Kansas City Transportation and Local-Scale Air Quality Study: In fall 2017, the EPA launched the Kansas City Transportation and Local-Scale Air Quality Study (KC-TRAQS), to learn more about local community air quality in three neighborhoods in Kansas City, KS, that have multiple air pollution sources from highways, railways, and industry. The study will be conducted for one year and provide comprehensive air quality monitoring using three different air measurement approaches. A citizen science project is part of the study and will involve area residents and students in air measurement activities.

Learn more about the study

Billboard Applications: The emerging SENTINEL (Sensor NeTwork Intelligent Emissions Locator) project combines air quality measurements and modeling to improve the understanding of emission sources. For near-source measurements, the research team is developing SENTINEL air monitors that can be coupled to digital billboards. The needed infrastructure, electricity and internet access to send data to a cloud for air monitoring can require significant investment. Installing monitors on billboards could reduce costs and allow for their use across a wide range of diverse industrial and urban environments.

Fenceline Sampler: The SPod is a low-cost fenceline sampler under development that provides real-time fenceline data on volatile organic compound emissions like benzene. The device is solar powered, enabling it to be dropped in place for monitoring, even without an available power source. A study expected to start in August 2017 is being conducted in the Rubbertown neighborhood of the city of Louisville to demonstrate the SPod and other Next Generation air measurement technology.

Learn more about the Rubbertown study.

Black Carbon Monitor: A low-maintenance, low-power and high time resolution black carbon (BC) instrument is under development that can provide continuous measurements in a variety of environments. Black carbon, a component of particulate matter, is of interest as an indicator of combustion emissions and is a short-lived climate forcer.

Wildfires: A unique instrument system and method for sampling and quantifying emissions from wildfires and open area burns such as agricultural field burning and wild prescribed burns is being tested. Researchers use a helium-filled balloon to lift instruments into the smoke plumes. Field sampling of burns and large-scale laboratory burn simulations are conducted to determine emission factors. Called the Aerostat, the device can measure and sample a broad variety of compounds including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, fine particulate matter, black/brown carbon, elemental organic carbon, semi-volatile organics and volatile organics.

Wildland Fire Research

Sensor Evaluations: A growing number of air sensors for monitoring air quality are being made commercially available, encouraging more widespread use by individuals, citizen groups, researchers and regulatory officials. EPA is supporting the advancement of air sensor technology by evaluating devices in the laboratory and in field studies. The goals of these evaluations are:

Develop a better understanding of basic sensor performance characteristics

Provide results to sensor manufacturers that encourage improvements in sensor performance

Communicate findings to stakeholders to improve outcomes of sensor applications.

Learn more about air sensor research

Air Quality Measurement Methods

In order to effectively monitor air pollutants to implement the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, states and tribes need state-of-the-art methods for using technology that provide accurate and reliable data. EPA researchers develop new methods and make improvements to existing methods that are used to collect data on air quality.

Research projects include:

Federal Reference and Equivalency Methods: EPA scientists develop and evaluate Federal Reference Methods and Federal Equivalency Methods to accurately and reliably measure six primary air pollutants in outdoor air. These methods are the gold standard of measurement for use by states and other organizations to assess implementation actions needed to attain National Ambient Air Quality Standards. These standards are reviewed every five years by EPA, requiring assessment of existing methods and development of new ones as needed. One initiative is using satellite measurements to validate proposed methodology.

Federal Reference and Equivalent Methods

Aircraft Emission Methods: Since the early 2000s, research has been conducted to design and deploy methods to measure emissions from aircraft, a known source of air pollution worldwide. One such method has been developed to measure aircraft particle pollution and black carbon. The method is recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations body that sets standards for international aviation. Ongoing research is focused on developing black carbon measurement methods for determining non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM) emissions from commercial aircraft engines.

Air Toxics Methods: States use toxic organic (TO) methods to provide data on air toxics to EPA's National Air Toxics Trends Station (NATTS) Network, the Urban Air Toxics Monitoring Program (UATMP), and the Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring Program (CSATAM). EPA reviews existing TO methods to identify the highest priority methods to update and develop a process to conduct research to update and refine existing methods or develop new ones. Current methods used for measuring air toxics in ambient air are found in the Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air-Second Edition (625/R-96/010b), published in January 1999.

Stationary Source Emissions Methods and Instruments: Using EPA's unique combustion testing facilities in Research Triangle Park, NC, researchers are investigating stationary diesel engines and diesel generators to assess the variability in particulate and gaseous emissions with the use of pre- and/or post-combustion control technologies. The development of more emissions data on stationary, large-scale diesel engines can help to support current regulations to control emissions from diesel generator sets used by industry.

New methods to measure emissions from industry and other stationary sources are also being developed as part of research to advance the next generation measurement technology. Select air measurement methods are being tested to improve scientific understanding of high priority sources of air pollutants in industrial settings. For example, the OTM 33 method used in a passive sampler is being used to control benzene emissions from petroleum refineries as a result of an EPA rule that approves the use of the fenceline monitoring technology.

Finally, emerging and innovative instrument technologies that measure emissions from stationary sources such as landfills and coal-fired power plants are reviewed and studied with the goal to more quickly advance promising technologies into the marketplace and support future regulatory needs.

Air Measurement Methods for Reservoirs: Impounded waters such as reservoirs are a source of global methane emissions to the atmosphere. To more fully understand the contribution of this source of the global-warming pollutant, researchers are developing methods to measure and estimate methane emissions from reservoirs in the U.S. so that they can be included in EPA's National Emissions Inventory. The research is also addressing ways to reduce methane emissions from reservoirs.

Related Resources:
Secondary organic aerosol (SOAs) Research Modeling and inventories Speciate Database Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air-Second Edition (625/R-96/010b), published in January 1999.
Air Quality Emissions Inventories Using Measurements and Models

Air quality management requires an understanding of the type of air pollutants being emitted by various sources from onroad vehicles, large industrial facilities, power plants and smaller sources such as residential heating and asphalt paving. The development of emissions inventories is critical for the states to implement accurate and effective air pollution control strategies. Complete, well-referenced and quality-assured emissions profiles of air pollution sources support EPA models used by states to demonstrate compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and are used to populate emissions databases.

Research projects include:

EPA's SPECIATE Database Support: Researchers work to update and maintain EPA's SPECIATE database including the addition of high-priority emission profiles used in many of EPA's atmospheric models. SPECIATE is the EPA's repository of volatile organic gas and particulate matter (PM) speciation profiles of air pollution sources. In addition to populating and maintaining the SPECIATE database itself, researchers are providing and maintaining the SPECIATE web browser to assist users that do not have database proficiency but need information on the components of the emission profiles. Research is currently focused on oil and natural gas profiles as well as profiles from wild and prescribed fires.

On Road and Off Road Emissions Inventories: Research is providing a better understanding of air pollution emissions from light duty trucks and other on road vehicles and off road vehicles. Using dynamometers in the laboratory, emissions are characterized under different operating conditions and combustion technologies, outdoor temperatures and fuel mixtures that are currently in use or proposed. Vehicles are also taken on the road for emissions testings. Researchers are investigating mobile measurement instruments to obtain real-world emissions of vehicles during operation on a road.

The emission rates developed by EPA researchers are used to support EPA's MObile Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model that is the official model for estimating air pollution emissions from cars, trucks and motorcycles. The emissions rates are also used in EPA's SPECIATE Database, the repository of volatile organic compounds and particulate matter speciation profiles of air pollution sources.

Analytical-Chemical and Optical Methods: Research is needed to develop and apply sampling, analytical-chemical, and optical methods that accurately and precisely measure the inorganic and carbonaceous components of gases and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from a variety of emissions sources and ambient locations. Examination of particle phase black carbon (BC), organic nitrogen compounds, polycyclic and oxygenated aromatic compounds, nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds, metals, atom and chemical bond valence states, particle size and other physiochemical attributes of emissions are being investigated. Data from this research is used by thousands of scientists worldwide and supports a variety of toxicology research activities that require analytical chemical methodology for air pollutant determination.

Black Carbon Characterization: Researchers are characterizing the optical properties of particulate and black carbon emissions from combustion sources. The physical, chemical and optical characterization of these aerosols will be used to develop a black carbon emissions inventory for EPA's National Emissions Inventory. The data is important for the development of climate models. The light absorbing nature of these aerosols and their limited lifetime in the atmosphere give them the potential to act as short-term climate forcers. Demonstration of optical properties such as light scattering and absorption and refractive capabilities, will provide critical information for determining black carbon's role in global warming. The research will also provide particulate and black carbon data for the SPECIATE database.

Black carbon research

Related Resources:
Air emissions inventory Speciate Database MOVES (Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator) National Air Toxics Trends Station Network Urban Air Toxics Monitoring Program Community-Scale Air Toxics Ambient Monitoring Program

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Air Monitoring, Measuring, and Emissions Research | US EPA

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EPA is a science leader in the development and improvement of instruments, methods, techniques and other tools to measure and monitor air quality and evaluate air emissions to protect public health and the environment from air pollution.

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1. Aircasting App + Air Monitor
2. CairClip
3. EPA’s online Air Sensor
Toolbox for Citizen Scientists

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RETIGO is a free, web-based tool that shows air quality data that you've collected while you are in motion (walking, biking, or on a vehicle). In addition to viewing your data, RETIGO allows you to view data from nearby air quality and meteorological stations.

This page contains both video and interactive tutorials on RETIGO basics: preparing and loading a data file, navigating the interface, and using the data repository.

Video tutorials

These video tutorials will show you how to use the features of RETIGO. The videos include voice narration and closed captioning.

Online Tutorial

Step 1: Prepare a Data File

You can load a data file directly from RETIGO's data repository, or prepare a file using your own data. If you want to use the data repository, proceed to step 2.

RETIGO reads plain text data files, which can be either space or comma delimited. Here is an example of what a RETIGO data file should look like. Two complete example files can be downloaded below.

## Sampling day: July 18 2012
## Operator:     Jane Doe
## Location:     Raleigh NC
## Notes:        Weather is clear, light traffic
Timestamp(UTC)            EAST_LONGITUDE(deg) NORTH_LATITUDE(deg) ID(-)    ozone(ppb) pm2.5(ug/m^3)
2012-07-18T15:44:00-00:00 -78.9979            35.9508             route1   49.0491    32.6768
2012-07-18T15:44:19-00:00 -78.9947            35.9470             route1   43.2706    26.7231
2012-07-18T15:44:57-00:00 -78.9896            35.9361             route1   42.3130    34.1504
2012-07-18T15:45:58-00:00 -78.9846            35.9172             route1   47.7046    33.2918
2012-07-18T15:46:17-00:00 -78.9733            35.9048             route1   47.7046    -9999
[etc...]

The first four lines in the example are comment lines (denoted by two hash symbols: ##). Comment lines can occur anywhere in the file, and can be used to make whatever annotations you wish. There is no limit to the number of comment lines allowed since they are completely ignored by the RETIGO program.

The next line is the header line, which identifies each column of data. The first four columns must be present in every file in the order listed in the example. They describe the time and position of each measurement, along with an identifier which can be used to sort the data when it is being analyzed. There should be at least one additional column that contains measurement data, and there can be up to ten such columns. The variable names should not include spaces. It is also suggested that units be included in the variable name. The exact format of each column is as follows:

Column 1:

Timestamp that conforms to the UTC/ISO 8601 international standard.

The timestamp should have the form YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssTZD*, where

  YYYY = four-digit year
  MM   = two-digit month (01=January, etc.)
  DD   = two-digit day of month (01 through 31)
  hh   = two digits of hour (00 through 23) (am/pm NOT allowed)
  mm   = two digits of minute (00 through 59)
  ss   = two digits of second (00 through 59)
  TZD  = time zone designator (+hh:mm or -hh:mm)

  For example, 2012-07-18T15:44:00-00:00 corresponds to July 18, 2012, 3:44:00pm Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

  The exact same instant of time could be represented in different US timezones as:

    2012-07-18T11:44:00-04:00 for Eastern Daylight Time  (EDT)
    2012-07-18T10:44:00-05:00 for Central Daylight Time  (CDT)
    2012-07-18T09:44:00-06:00 for Mountain Daylight Time (MDT)
    2012-07-18T08:44:00-07:00 for Pacific Daylight Time  (PDT)

    2012-07-18T10:44:00-05:00 for Eastern Standard Time  (EST)
    2012-07-18T09:44:00-06:00 for Central Standard Time  (CST)
    2012-07-18T08:44:00-07:00 for Mountain Standard Time (MST)
    2012-07-18T07:44:00-08:00 for Pacific Standard Time  (PST)

  * Extra precision: For many users, the specification of time to the nearest second will be adequate.
  However, it is possible to add two decimal places of precision (hundredths of a second) by using
  a timestamp of the formYYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.ssTZD

Column 2:

East longitude in decimal degrees.

Column 3:

North latitude in decimal degrees.

Column 4:

Identifier string.

Column 5+:

Measurement data, with data descriptor and units in the header.

At least one column of measurement data is required, but there can be additional data columns if desired. In the example above, two data columns are included ( ozone and pm2.5). Use -9999 to indicate missing variable data.

To get started, you may want to download this sample file and proceed to the Step 2. You can also view a separate tutorial on how to create a RETIGO file from an Excel spreadsheet.

  Sample concentration data:MobileData_RETIGO.csv

This data is related to the recent publication On-road black carbon instrument intercomparison and aerosol characteristics by driving environment, A.L. Holder et al., Atmos. Environ., 88 (2014), pp. 183-191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.01.021

Wind Data / Optional Data File

Wind data can be included, either in the primary data file or in a separate file. For basic display of wind vectors located at the position of measurement, the wind data can have different temporal and spatial sampling than the pollution data. However, to create pollution rose plots, the wind data needs to be included in the primary data file and collected at the same time and location as the measurement data. The format of wind data is similar to that of the regular RETIGO data file outlined above. However, since wind is a vector quantity, both the magnitude and direction must be specified. For example:

Timestamp(UTC) EAST_LONGITUDE(deg) NORTH_LATITUDE(deg) ID(-) wind_magnitude(m/s) wind_direction(deg)
2008-11-05T07:14:00-05:00    -78.6140     35.8229    Sonic_anemometer      2.1729    0.0
2008-11-05T07:14:05-05:00    -78.6140     35.8229    Sonic_anemometer      2.1998    45.0
2008-11-05T07:14:10-05:00    -78.6140     35.8229    Sonic_anemometer      2.6970    90.0
[etc...]

The "wind_direction(deg)" column must immediately follow the "wind_magnitude" column. The units of the wind magnitude are arbitrary, but the direction must be in degrees, where the standard meteorological convention is used: the heading indicates the direction from which the wind originates (clockwise from North). A heading of 0 degrees indicates wind coming from the North, 90 degrees indicates wind from the East, etc.

RETIGO displays the wind in a vector sense, where the tip of the arrow points in the direction the wind is going. So a wind direction of 90 degrees specified in the file (from the East) would be pointing toward the West in the visualization.

Step 2: Load Data or Select from Data Repository

Once you have a data file to view, go to the RETIGO application page and enter the path and name of the file. Or you can select a file from RETIGO's data repository.

You can also choose to bring in wind data that you measured, or nearby data from air quality sampling stations (if available) such as hourly ozone or fine particle measurements (PM 2.5 or particles smaller than 2.5 microns) from the AirNow network, or temperature data from the World Meteorological Organization Global Surface Meteorology Monitoring Network. If you choose to show nearby monitoring data, RETIGO will automatically retrieve the data if it is available and display it alongside your measurements. Depending upon the time and spatial extent of your dataset, it may take a minute or two to retrieve the air quality data. You can also choose to show a weather condition summary, which will list meteorological conditions from the nearest SURF_MET monitor.

Once you have selected your options, select the Submit button.

Step 3: View the Data

After you select the Submit button, your data is displayed on a map as shown here. Colors indicate the value of the selected variable, ranging from dark blue (low) to red (high). RETIGO automatically determines the lowest and highest values of the selected variable, and adjusts the color scale accordingly. You can also customize the colorbar by setting the minimum and maximum values for each variable.

Time control

The time control is a horizontal slider that is used to pinpoint a particular datapoint in time. The selected time is shown above the slider, referenced to the desired timezone. The corresponding data value is shown below the slider. Dragging the slider allows you to track the dataset over time.

Toolbar

The toolbar allows you to interact with the map in various ways:

The "home" button automatically centers the map around your data, and sets the optimal zoom level to show the entire dataset.

The "move map" button lets you recenter the map. With the "move map" icon selected, simply left-click anywhere in the map and drag the mouse while keeping the left mouse button down. Once the map is in the desired position, let go of the mouse button.

The "drop analysis point" function lets you designate a point on the map, denoted by a pushpin. You can then plot your data as a function of distance from the point (see below). This might be useful if you know the location of a pollutant source. To designate a point, select the icon and then left-click anywhere on the map. A pushpin will appear to mark the selected point. The pushpin can be dragged to a new location by simply left-clicking on it, moving it to a new location, and letting go of the mouse button. To delete the pushpin, right click on it.

The "create analysis polyline" function is similar to the analysis point, except you create a polyline instead of a point. Left-click to create the starting point, and then again to create the ending point. The polyline can be modified into any shape by clicking on the center of the line and displacing it, creating two new line segments each with a new center. By repeatedly adjusting the location of the centers, the polyline can take on any shape. For example, the polyline could be made to approximate the contour of a road. To delete the polyline, right click on it.

The "crop region" function lets you exclude all data outside of the defined box. With the crop region icon selected, simply left click and drag on the map to define the region of interest. Any analysis plots that are active (see below) will automatically update to reflect the selection. To delete the crop region, right click on it.

Select Variable

All of the measured variable names (column 5 and beyond in the data file) are shown in the "select variable" area. Simply left-click on the variable that you would like to see. RETIGO will automatically show the data on the map and update the colorbar accordingly. You can also adjust the range of the variable by entering values into the appropriate text boxes.

Step 4: Investigate the Data

RETIGO provides a few simple ways to investigate your data:

Plot data as a function of time.

Plot data vs. distance from a point.

Plot data vs. minimum distance from a polyline.

You can turn the analysis plots on and off using the checkboxes underneath the toolbar. It is possible to have both the timeseries plot and the analysis plot active at once.

Timeseries Plot

The timeseries plot shows the selected variable as a function of time. As you move the time control slider, the corresponding datapoint is highlighted in the timeseries plot with a black circle. You can also add a second variable to the plot, which will be shown with a black triangle.

Analysis Plot

The analysis plot shows the selected variable as a function of distance from the designated analysis point or polyline. See the Toolbar controls above for how to designate these. As you move the time control slider, the corresponding datapoint is highlighted in the analysis plot with a black circle (marker) or triangle (polyline).

Pollution Rose

If wind vector data is present in your data, you can view a pollution rose for the selected variable. The pollution rose is a polar plot, where the angle is equal to the wind heading, the distance from the center is equal to the wind magnitude, and the color corresponds to the value of the selected variable. For example, the marker located within the square on the image below represents a measurement that occurred when the wind was from the southwest, with an approximate wind speed of 4 m/s, and the color can be matched to the colorbar representing the pollution concentration range.

Show Connecting Line

This option connects your data with a red line to better visualize the path that was taken during the data collection.

Crop Region

Use the crop region function to exclude data outside of a region of interest. After clicking on the crop region icon, simply left click and drag on the map to define the region. When the mouse button is released the map and analysis plots will automatically be updated.

Using IDs

The RETIGO file specification allows you to tag each data point with an identifier (ID), which is composed of alphanumeric characters. You can use the IDs to group your data in any way you like, and isolate them in the visualization.

Time Mode / Large File Support

For efficiency, RETIGO only shows 1000 points at a time. If your dataset contains more points, say 100,000, you can look at the dataset in one of two ways. Using average mode (default), the data is time averaged into bins, such that there will be approximately 1000 bins. In this example, every 100 points would be time-averaged, yielding 1000 points to be shown on the map. If you want to see your un-averaged data, select block mode. Here, the data can be accessed 1000 points at a time in blocks. The starting time of each block is listed in the menu. You can click through the list of blocks one by one to view the entire dataset. There is no limit to the number of data points that your dataset may have; larger files will simply have more blocks.

Other Features

The map display is a fully functioning Google Map™ display.

The map selector lets you switch between a regular roadmap, a terrain map, or a satellite view. The zoom control allows you to zoom in or out using the slider or the plus and minus buttons at the top and bottom of the slider. Sometimes the terrain view limits the zoom level, so you may need to choose a different map if you want to zoom all the way in.

To use Google Street View™, left-click on the Street View icon and drag it to your location of interest on the map. Everywhere that Street View is available will be highlighted in blue. When you let go of the mouse, the RETIGO view will automatically change to Street View. The view can be rotated and navigated using the mouse. To return to the main map, click the "x" in the upper right hand corner.

Note: The satellite map and Street View images are collected at different times (sometimes months or years apart), but both are updated periodically by Google, Inc. Both my not reflect the exact conditions present at the time of your data collection, so care must be taken when interpreting the imagery.

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Real Time Geospatial (RETIGO) Tutorials | US EPA

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RETIGO is a free, web-based tool that shows air quality data that you've collected while you are in motion (walking, biking, or on a vehicle). In addition to viewing your data, RETIGO allows you to view data from nearby air quality and meteorological stations.

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Public Lab is an open community which collaboratively develops accessible, open source, Do-It-Yourself technologies for investigating local environmental health and justice issues.

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ozone 																															 maps

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Air Pollution in Nepal: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map

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How polluted is the air today? Check out the real-time air pollution map, for more than 60 countries.

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Jan 25, 2018-

Air quality in Nepal is the worst in the world, with the country being ranked at the bottom among the 180 countries surveyed in terms of air-quality in a global study.

The latest global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) was released on Tuesday by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. The EPI report ranks the countries on 24 indicators across 10 categories, covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. Environmental health also includes two other components of water and sanitation and exposure to heavy metals.

Nepal was ranked the last for air-quality among 180 countries, according to the EPI report which highlighted air pollution as a leading threat to public health.

The report had measured Household solid fuels, PM2.5 exposures and PM2.5 exceedance for measuring air quality of countries included in the study.

With the score of 3.94, Nepal's air quality has been reported worse than other countries in the region like Pakistan (176th), China (177th), India (178th) and Bangladesh (179th). Australia secured the highest ranking for clean air while the United States ranked 10th.

Nearly all countries at the lower end of the global rankings for poor air quality are from Africa or Asia, said the report. The report also showed Nepal's overall performance as "poor" in terms of environmental performance index, leaving it at the bottom of

The overall EPI rankings indicate countries' best performances against the array of environmental pressures that every nation faces, said the report.

Nepal has managed a meagre 31.44 score for the 176th place, only ahead of India, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh and Burundi. Nepal stood in the 24th place on the EPI standings among Asian countries.

"Low scores on the EPI are indicative of the need for national sustainability efforts on a number of fronts, especially cleaning up air quality, protecting biodiversity, and reducing GHG emissions. Some of the lowest-ranking nations face broader challenges, such as civil unrest, but the low scores for others can be attributed to weak governance, they note," the report said.

At the top of the green rankings is Switzerland with an impressive score of 87.42, followed by France, Denmark, Malta, and Sweden. Switzerland stands out in the categories of climate and energy, and air pollution. Denmark, Malta and Sweden stand out for high scores in air quality within environmental health. Malta scores the highest in water and sanitation.

"These metrics provide a gauge at a national scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy goals. The EPI thus offers a scorecard that

highlights leaders and laggards in environmental performance, gives insight on best practices, and provides guidance for countries that aspire to be leaders in sustainability," it said.
Published: 25-01-2018 08:04

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Nepal's air quality is worst in the world: EPI report

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Jan 25, 2018- Air quality in Nepal is the worst in the world, with the country being ranked at the bottom among the 180 countries surveyed in terms of air-quality in a global study. The latest global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) was released on Tuesday by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

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Air Pollution in Nepal: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map

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How polluted is the air today? Check out the real-time air pollution map, for more than 60 countries.

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Advocating and Enforcing Air Quality Standards in Nepal

Ram Charitra Sah

Abstract

The air pollution in Nepal is severe in terms of particulate matter, although not serious in terms of gaseous pollutants in most of the urban areas but it is increasing and hence needs immediate response to tackle it. To successfully advocate for and enforce any environmental controls, an integration of science and law is necessary. Moreover, timely and effective participatory action have been found to be useful in achieving the desired level of changes in environmental issues, and lessons from such interventions could be passed on to and replicated in other countries. Advocating for and enforcing environmental legal and scientific issues requires great patience and continuous and tireless efforts to bring desired changes. There is a need for independent, public-minded scientists and lawyers who will help responsible government authorities with the effective execution of their statutory duties, as well as subsequent monitoring.

Key words: Environmental Quality Standard, PIL, Advocacy,
Enforcement, Public Hearing, People Participation

1. The Existing Air Pollution Scenario and Role of Civil Society

Nepal in general does not have an air pollution problem but has very acute air pollution problems in most of its urban centers, including industrial cities such as Kathmandu, Biratnagar, and Pokhara. Among these ours capital Kathmandu's condition is the worst. The values of both air pollutants TSP and PM10 in Nepal's three major cities are higher than the WHO guideline values. The values of gaseous pollutants are below the WHO guidelines and standard values but are increasing.

More specifically, Nepal's urban areas are more polluted with respect to both indoor and outdoor air pollution, whereas more than half of rural population inhabited by 85 percent of the total population, especially women and children that are are exposed to very high indoor air pollution by using biomass fuels in their traditional cooking stoves inside poorly vented kitchens. These stoves account for approximately 78 percent of the state's biomass-based energy sources.
A study conducted by the World Bank on mortality and morbidity due to PM10 levels in 1990 estimated that Katmandu's PM10 pollution resulted in 84 cases of excess mortality, 506 cases of chronic bronchitis, 4,847 cases of bronchitis in children, and 18,863 asthma attacks per year. Overall, Katmandu's residents experienced more than 1.5 million respiratory symptom days per year. Estimated health damage costs due to poor air quality were NRs. 210 (US$4.4 million) million a year (URBAIR 1996).

As the amount of air pollution increases, Nepal's government has not taken the steps necessary to implement its control measures. The environmental-friendly decisions made by the government in the past¾like the ban of two-stroke petrol engines and the phasing out of the most polluting 20-year-old vehicles from the Kathmandu Valley¾have never been fully implemented. The role of civil society in pollution reduction is crucial. The Forum for Protection of Public Interest (PRO PUBLIC), along with other groups like LEADERS Nepal and ENPHO, is an active representative of civil society and has been advocating for the country`s better air quality.

2. Organizational Profile

Pro Public is a non-profit, nonsectarian, nonpolitical, and nongovernmental organization committed to helping the public interest. Founded in 1991 by a group of environmentalists, women`s rights activists, consumer activists, lawyers, journalists, engineers, and economists, the organization has earned the public's respect by consistently pursuing people`s rights through research, advocacy, and public interest litigation (PIL). Pro Public is a pioneering organization in the institutionalization of PIL in Nepal.

2.1 Vision

Nepalese people's basic rights are guaranteed through social, economic, environmental and political justice.

2.2 Mission

Pro Public plays the role of a social change agent and empowers the Nepalese people through research, advocacy, capacity building, PIL, collaboration, partnership, and networking.

The forum has four primary objectives: to act as watchdog and increase government and private sector accountability; conduct research aimed at solving contemporary public interest issues; and enhance the capacities of local and grassroots organizations through training seminars, workshops, and information dissemination.

2.3 Focus areas

The forum has been working in good governance, environmental justice, gender justice, economic justice, and consumer rights protection areas.

Pro Public is working to protect the public interest in the above sectors and has a close relationship with several donor agencies that share its interests, more than 15 international and national organizations in all, specifically in the area of public welfare . So far, Pro Public has worked with different major donor agencies: The Asia Foundation (TAF), Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), Ford Foundation (FF), UNIFEM, and IUCN etc. Forum has more than 50 fulltime employees under different programs. Most of them work on a project-by-project basis. Pro Public has been airing a weekly good governance radio program, the objective being to ensure an effective, fair, accountable, and transparent governance by empowering grass roots organizations. Motivated by the radio program, people in 74 out of 75 Nepalese districts spontaneously formed 2,042 "Radio Listeners` Clubs" by the end of October 2003 to carry out good governance activities at the local level, and formally registered under Pro Public. This network thus enables Pro Public to reach the grass roots level more effectively. The forum also remains equally active¾in the absence of any funding agencies¾in ensuring social, political, economic, and environmental justice for the people.

With its prime focus on environmental conservation, the forum is constantly working on almost all sectors of environmental management, including pollution and, more specifically, public health and good governance issues, notably promoting self-motivation towards public causes and on the appeal of public interest. Moreover, the forum has been playing a crucial role in the development of environment-related policies through active participation and providing early expert suggestions, comments, and memorandums to the concerned stakeholders.
In the area of air pollution control, Pro Public has done incredible work so far. Some of the landmark positive court decisions as well as environmental-friendly results of our advocacy, research, and public interest litigations program are illustrated in the following sections.

3. Venue of Public Interest Litigation and Public Participations in Nepalese Laws

There is room for the PIL and public participation, as guaranteed by Nepalese Constitution 1990 and several other laws. Article 88 of the Nepalese constitution on the Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court states:

(1) Any Nepali citizen may file a petition in the Supreme Court to have any law or any part thereof declared void on the ground of inconsistency with this constitution because it imposes an unreasonable restriction on the enjoyment of the fundamental rights conferred by this Constitution or on any other ground, and extraordinary power shall rest with Supreme Court to declare that law as void either ab initio or from the date of its decision if it appears that the law in question is inconsistent with the Constitution.

And Article 88(2) declares: The Supreme Court shall, for the enforcement of the fundamental rights conferred by this Constitution, for the enforcement of any other legal right for which no other remedy has been provided or for which the remedy even though provided appears to be inadequate or ineffective, or for the settlement of any constitutional or legal question involved in any dispute of public interest or concern, have the extraordinary power to issue necessary and appropriate orders to enforce such rights or settle the dispute.

For these purposes, the Supreme Court may, with a view to imparting full justice and providing the appropriate remedy, issue appropriate orders and writs including the writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto (Nepalese Constitution 1990).

Nepal`s firm commitment to the goal of environmental protection can be explicitly seen from these constitutional provisions. Under the directive principles of Nepal's 1990 constitution, it is written that the state "shall adopt a policy to utilize the natural resources of the country in the national interest and in a fruitful manner." Furthermore, the state "shall give priority attention to conserving the environment of the country and also prevent adverse impact on the environment, which may be caused as a result of the implementation of physical development activities, through the mechanism of creating public awareness towards the quality of environment and shall make special arrangements for the conservation of rare animal species forests and the vegetation of the country" [Article 26(4)] (NBS 1998).

In addition, the Forest Protection Act 1993, National Park and Wildlife Act 1970, Water Resource Act 1992, Local Self Governance Act 1999, Environmental Protection Act (EPA 1997) and Environmental Protection Regulation (EPR 1997) ensure public participation as well as collaborative efforts for the sustainable management of resources for the public benefits. For example, public participation, or consultation through public hearing, should be carried out while performing the initial environmental examination (IEE) and environmental impact assessment (EIA) required for any kind of developmental project¾depending upon its scale (EPR 1997)¾by the proponents.

4. Steps of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) Adopted In Nepal

The PIL practices in Nepal normally follow the following strategic steps.

4.1 Research and Issue Identification

Different levels of research have been conducted in order to reach the grass-roots level and identify issues to be raised or that have been brought to our attention, either by affected local peoples or communications media (electronic or print). The Staff Attorneys will research legal aspects of issues-related acts, regulations, and various courts decisions (national and international), whereas staff scientists will conduct primary research and also use various studies, reports, scientific research, and data from various sources on possible environmental impacts, mitigation measures, control measures, and alternatives. The government study is also very important for us since at least we can say to the government "this particular evidence came from your study and you have to take a suitable course of action to control it."

But the availability of such information from the government and donor communities is very limited. This is one of the big challenges and sources of dispute with the government: the lack of transparency in information sharing and decisionmaking. This is against of our constitutional right to demand and receive information on any matter of public importance (Nepalese Constitution 1990 (Article 16)). The scientific and technical reports of each issues will be prepared in advance and used when advocacy letters are written, or produced as evidence in front of different level of courts or concerned government authorities to ensure environmental justice for the public. In this way, the science and scientific inputs play a very important role in legal strategies to protect Nepal's environment. A high degree of attention will be paid during issue identification and even more so during client characterization. The issue identification and client characterization will usually be guided by the greater public concerns. Community interests always outweigh individual interests.

4.2. Advocacy and Follow-up

The PIL starts it`s building and case maturation processes through research-based advocacy letters integrating both legal and scientific information related to the subject at hand. After sending the advocacy letter, a rigorous follow-up of these letters is carried out through phone calls, personal visits, personal meetings and/or interacting with the concerned authorities. It used to be very difficult to get a response from the pertinent government and nongovernmental organizations, but with increasing environmental concerns and awareness of them, the number of responses received from all such parties is increasing. Still, government responses are relatively less frequent than responses from local affected peoples, NGOs, CBOs, and local bodies.

4.3. Mediation

Though Nepal's judicial mechanism has shown a significant increase in awareness of and sensitivity to the need for environmental protection, the desired positive results in favor of public interest have not been fully realized. This is basically due to lack of infrastructures, and lack of effective implementation and monitoring of court decisions.
Because working one's way through Nepal's legal system can be a lengthy process, the judicial mechanism of Nepal has made mediation an option in order to save people from the cumbersome process of getting final justice through court cases. Though there are few who practice the mediation mechanism, it has been deemed necessary to include in the PIL cycle (Fig.1). This may be a future strategy for enhancing dispute resolution, as well as for reducing the pressure on the judicial system.

Mediation is nothing more than a facilitated negotiation between the parties with the help of a neutral third-party mediator. Environmental mediation is a relatively new instrument for the collaborative solution of conflicts over projects that have an environmental impact. Where possible, all the parties affected by the project enter a series of voluntary negotiations to work out a common solution. Indeed, in the best of mediations, the parties will come out with a result that satisfies both of their interests and needs in ways that could never be achieved in court. Moreover, it can provide all participants a greater sense of satisfaction because of their active involvement. Most important, mediation promotes cooperation and develops a greater understanding of the interests of the other parties.

4.3.1 A New Model of Environmental Mediation

Environmental disputes are a unique breed. They are not particularly well-suited for judicial determination because they are so technically complicated and incredibly expensive to try. Nor are they as readily susceptible to the standard meditation with a retired judge, particularly one not well versed in modern environmental law and mediation theory. So what is to be done with them (the disputes, not the judges)?

Our proposed Environmental Mediation Team consists of (a) a trained and experienced mediator, (b) a neutral environmental attorney with expertise in the legal area of dispute, and (c) a neutral environmental expert with expertise in the technical issues in dispute. This potent team has many advantages over single person mediation, and can accomplish much more at less cost.

4.4. Case Filing, Pleading, and Decision

The case filing is usually used as a last resort for assuring environmental justice and it, too, is guaranteed by the Nepalese constitution. The case selected to litigate will not start immediately. If our earlier soft advocacy, continuous follow-up, interactions, ultimatum with the concerned stakeholders do not work to the degree desired, we are compelled to go for lawsuits through the involvement of affected peoples. These suits are mostly against concerned government authorities, institutions, and departments directly responsible for raised issues including individual and private parties. Then, after several hearings, pleadings will go on and on, but usually we will be able to get positive results. This in itself is a very challenging job in Nepal. Fortunately, the integration of science and legal strategies has resulted in increased numbers of positive decisions, but the implementation of all these positive courts decisions poses another very big challenge in the PIL cases. These challenges will be reduced through having an independent monitoring mechanism equipped with required manpower and utilities. This mechanism can periodically monitor and report on the execution of the court decision.

4.5. Implementation & Monitoring

This part is very weak in Nepal's PIL history and needs immediate attention and supports. Sometimes the court's decision takes several years to reach the opponents. Once there, no one will follow-up on the decisions. Instigators of such cases will definitely check on the implementation of decisions and report to the concerned stakeholders, as much energy and labor have been invested in achieving the positive decisions.

To serve these specific purposes, the Supreme Court of Nepal recently formed a special monitoring cell as a result of the pressure created and input provided by organization like Pro Public. This cell will be monitoring all the court decisions that are in place and hopefully will prove a strict authority to ensure follow-up on the court orders that favor of the environment and public interest. This unit needs additional training, infrastructure, and manpower.

For monitoring of court decisions or other legal compliance, an independent third-party monitoring system compulsorily represented by the civil society, or organizations working on their behalf, has been proposed. As some of the monitoring programs at project level are being carried out by several organizations like LEADER Nepal, ENPHO, and NESS, ESPS/DANDA`s six monitoring stations that are setup for the air pollution monitoring will not serve the purpose fully. Such monitoring requires a separate organization that can monitor and report continuously rather than sporadically on a project-by-project basis. Pro Public also initiated citizen monitoring of industrial effluent standards and could extend its scope to include monitoring and reporting on the environmental quality standard, including air quality, provided that it will get sufficient financial and technical assistance. The cooperation with civil society and the concerned government and nongovernmental parties will need to be kept intact for smooth functioning.

4.6. Contempt of Court

As the implementation part of the positive courts decisions are, comparatively, not very compelling to them, the opponents enjoy avoiding the implementation of court decisions and the environment's conditions and/or other issue raised in the petitions, and thus they remains unchanged even after the court present its final judgment. In such situations, we also look for a contempt of court ruling in order to enforce the court orders that are already in place and to ensure the court's prestige remains intact, too. For example, Pro Public has filled a contempt-of-court in the case of the Sri Distillery, which continues to pollute the river and air even after the court ordered the distillery to control its output. The result is awaited and hence it is not wise to predict its success. But, of course, our assumption is that it will result in an even tighter decision that will facilitate compliance with the court's decision.

5. Challenges of the PIL in Nepal

There are several challenges to be surmounted in order to bring changes aimed for by PIL up to the desired level .

5.1 Receptiveness of the court

The court receptiveness to PIL depends on the issue raised, its grievances, and the articulation behind them. However, the receptiveness of the court is increasing, along with the courts' awareness, as illustrated by more than a decade of PIL successes in Nepal.

5.2 Funds

There are great costs involved in making success stories out of PIL cases that bring desired changes in environmental conditions. The organizations involved in this sector in the South Asian countries and worldwide are limited and having a hard time surviving. Basically they are NGOs: nonprofit organizations hardly funded by any national or multinational banks. So they have to either rely on their own scarce resource or wait for funding from a like-minded funding agencies usually international level NGOs or dissolve themselves.

5.3 Longer Procedures Versus Continuation of Individual Involved

Pro Public has had a very hard time in the past. A case filed for ensuring safe drinking water for all¾ probably the first PIL case of its kind¾took about 12 years (1989-2001) before getting the final verdict. So it had required several lawyers and expert's time and a lot of other resources, efforts, and energy, etc. So it is very hard to retain a PIL lawyers¾as well as public devotee's such as an independent scientist¾without any private interests. Pro Public lawyers felt proud of their colleagues, as they tirelessly pleaded the case. This longer duration might have been because it was the first such PIL case, the democracy restoration movement was new, and the court lacked sensitivity to environmental issues. So the judges` sensitivity training on environmental and natural resource management, gender issues, and other current issues was carried out simultaneously, primarily by Pro Public as well as others. Such training should be continued to make the judicial system aware of the changing scenarios that result from globalization and trade liberalization, and the subsequent impact on the human environment.

5.4 Lack of Execution and Monitoring

Looking on the inconsistency of execution of court decisions and subsequent monitoring by the concerned authorities, Pro Public has taken the initiative to monitor the execution of courts order at the field level. There is need for a special unit to monitor the execution part of decision. Recently, the Supreme Court established a monitoring unit and called for training, infrastructure, and financial support. As a pioneering PIL institution, the strengthening of Pro Public to make it a monitoring program is necessary and urgent.

6. Difficulties Overcome

These difficulties and challenges can be narrowed down by Pro Public if sufficient funds are raised, or through the assistance of like-minded international communities. The capacity to train technical and legal staff is essential to coping with the challenges ahead. The incorporation of public-minded lawyers and scientists is essential to overcoming most of the challenges and bringing significant changes. The institutionalization of a mediation mechanism will definitely reduce the chances of escalating disputes by resolving them in their early stage. The development of an independent organization or the strengthening of a capable NGO that has in-house legal and scientific resources is required for the monitoring and reporting that will enhance the execution of a court order.

7. Lessons Learned in PIL Sectors in Nepal

The following two examples illustrate the success that have come from advocating and enforcing air quality standards in Nepal and offer lessons that can be replicated in other parts of the globe.

7.1 Campaign Program for Safer Medical Waste Management (Alternative Vs Incinerator)

Medical waste management is a serious problem for the Kathmandu valley, which is similar to other big cities. In order to manage this problem, the concerned authority imported an incinerator technology before approval of the EIA, as required per EPA. The program was conceived on the basis of least public participation in the public hearing process during the EIA of the Medical Waste Management Project of Kathmandu Valley. The EIA document has been opened for comment. Pro Public, which has been monitoring this greater-public health concern, has sent its comments with reference to unsuitability of technology and location.

Pro Public believes that the pollution should be managed by environment-friendly technologies, not by pollution-prone technology. For example, there are several Asian countries in which incineration is being widely used and promoted by different donor agencies to treat municipal waste¾including medical waste¾regardless of its constituents. This incinerator technology burns everything, thus forfeiting resources that could be gained from recovery, recycling, and reuse, thereby creating a financial burden for hosting communities and institutions, as well as adding to the environmental pollution just by changing a biological problem to a chemical one. Once the waste¾which includes a lot of biological and plastic material¾is burned, it releases various kinds of toxic chemicals like Dioxin and Furan¾known human carcinogens¾into the environment.

So, Pro Public has completed an educational campaign program for safer medical waste management in Nepal. The program includes production of an educational pamphlet in the local language, an essay competition among medical students on medical waste management, an impact survey of incinerator use, and, finally, a one-day workshop program accommodating affected people voice. Through this program, the operation of an incinerator installed in the heart of the Kathmandu Valley, a densely populated area, was stopped and people were saved from being exposed to those toxic chemicals that have an intergenerational mutagenic impact. The success of this campaign encourages all the concerned parties to think about the right to information and the necessity of real public participation in decision making. These results were achieved thanks to the timely submission of comments from Pro Public, which had to overcome the lack of protocol for sending comments on such reports. Of course, such reports are out of reach of the general public for which they are opened; availability is restricted and the reports are written in English. The issues were widely disseminated through different media and program outcomes were widely circulated among all concerned.

7.2. Environmental Quality Standard (EQS) Case

Even four years after the Ministry of Population and Environment (MOPE) was established in 1995, the necessity of setting up the environmental quality standards (EQS) for the betterment of the environment was not understood by the concerned ministry, despite its statutory duty to set them. It has been felt that, for the betterment of the environment as a whole, there should be some short of measurements and standardization. With the aim of controlling overall environmental degradation by helping the government to fulfill its statutory duty of setting EQS as per the EPA 1997 and EPR 1997, Pro Public filed a case against MOPE to compel it to fulfill its duty to set the EQS required for environmental conservation by its July 1999 deadline. The ministry was to set standards in several arenas, including air, water, and noise quality, as well as industrial effluent (Article 15, EPR 1997).

After more than two years of continuous efforts, on November 2001, the Supreme Court of Nepal issued orders to set standards for the air, water, and noise quality as well as other required standards, per MOPE's statutory duty. As a result, we now have National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS 2003) as of July 4, 2003, Water Quality and Noise Quality Standards has yet to be set up. In addition we have nine individual industry's effluent standards, and one generic standard. The standards of common treatment plants as well as the sampling methods, analysis methods for the environmental pollutants, etc. are in place. There is an urgent need for effective implementation, so Pro Public also filed a case on August 26, 2003 for the recruitment of an environment inspector (EI), which is required for the effective implementation and monitoring of environmental related activities, standards, and other mitigation measures outlined in the environment management plan of the EIA reports.

A very interesting aspect of setting up the current comprehensive NAAQS 2003 is that, based on this case, MOPE has hired a team of consultants from the Institute of Engineering (IOE) Nepal to propose the EQS. These proposed standards were not prepared with least expert consultation as well as less extensive study of the required environmental conditions usually required for the setting of standards. So being a proponent of the case and wanting to assist in the development of these standards, Pro Public organized an interactive meeting titled the "Proposed Environment Quality Standards, its Shortcomings and Improvement Possibility developed by MOPE, 20th November 2001".

Various sector experts, scientists, academicians, and lawyers, as well as representatives of various organizations working on different aspects of the environment, participated in the program. We initially reviewed the proposed standards and also collected a lot of suggestions, comments, and possibilities for improvements and finally submitted them to the MOPE for inclusion. As a result, we got more comprehensive NAAQS than the consulting teams had proposed. For example, the parameters for benzene were not included in the proposed standards, though it was found in concentrations several times greater than the WHO guidelines in the prevailing air of the Kathmandu Valley; ultimately, standards for benzene were included. There is also a categorization of pollutants with respect to time of exposure, and a fixed limit for these; both were included after our intervention. This illustrates the benefits and importance of public participation in resolving environmental issues in Nepal as well as NGO efforts to make government responsible through creative and timely support; this lesson could be replicated in other parts of the globe.

There are several other cases carried out by Pro Public for the betterment of air quality like air pollution cases such as pollution from Indian, Japanese, and Korean vehicles import case based on self certification; and brick industry pollution cases.

8. Conclusions

Enacting the development of an effective compliance mechanism for EQS is essential for the betterment of the environment. Participatory and collaborative approaches will results sustainable development, which can be achieved through transparency in information sharing and decision making. There is a need for third-party monitoring, and independent, public-minded NGOs/private companies that are equipped with the necessary legal and technical expertise, as well as in-house monitoring mechanisms. Thus, strengthening such organizations is a must for advocacy and enforcement of law, act, and regulations for the betterment of the environment and people at large.

9. References

1. URBAIR, October 1996, Kathmandu Valley Report, p 52).
2. NBS, 1998, A Compendium on Environment Statistics, Nepal, p10
3. 1997, Environment Protection Act (EPA) and Environment Protection Regulation (EPR), Chapter 2, Article 2 (2).
4. 1990, Nepalese Constitution
5. Several Writ Petition related documents of Pro Public

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Advocating and Enforcing Air Quality Standards in Nepal

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Advocating and Enforcing Air Quality Standards in Nepal Ram Charitra Sah Abstract The air pollution in Nepal is severe in terms of particulate matter, although not serious in terms of gaseous pollutants in most of the urban areas but it is increasing and hence needs immediate response to tackle it.

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1. Indoor
2. Outdoor