Plastic Ban: The waiting game
The timing of the April 25 earthquake couldn't have been any more unfavorable for the team of 'No thanks! I carry my own bag'. Before the earthquake, the Government of Nepal had declared polythene bags below 40 microns to be illegal. Thus, the team of 'No thanks! I carry my own bag' along with the Department of Environment were in the implementation phase. They were battling rumors, inspecting shops, and slowly but surely reducing the use of plastic bags among the residents of Kathmandu.
Post quake though, they find themselves back to square one. The disaster has bought back the surge of plastic use. People have bigger priorities now then to abide by the ban and Pradip Khatiwada, campaign leader of 'No thanks! I carry my own bag' insists he understands.
"At time of such adversity, we are bound by our moral obligation. Plastic bags are more convenient at the moment so we have decided to relax the ban," says Khatiwada.
He and this team understand that the time is just not right to harp on about the ills of plastic use, not when people have lost their homes, jobs, and loved ones. Further with the government engaged in relief work and the new constitution, they have not been able to rope in the authorities for assistance. They see some plastic bag manufacturers and retailers taking unfair advantage of the situation and promoting the usage of polythene bags in the name of relief distribution as well. But the 'No thanks! I carry my own bag' team isn't taking any major actions. At least, not yet.
Their plan is to patiently bide time until life regains some normalcy. Even though the entire team is keeping busy by engaging themselves in the country's relief and rehabilitation programs, in the near future, they have full intention to impose the plastic ban yet again.
"The government has already officially labeled single polythene bags illegal so we shall see that the ban upholds. It's not only for the good of the environment but also the country's economy. We will probably have to start from scratch but we are certain that the government will support us. I have confidence in the public too. I believe they realize the importance of this ban too or we wouldn't have been able to gather 50,000 signatures for the petition," concludes Khatiwada on a determined note.
Air Pollution: Reasons to be skeptical
"Who are we kidding? The sad fact is air pollution issues have never taken the front seat among the list of priorities in our country," says Prashanta Khanal, program coordinator of Clean Air and Mobility Unit at Clean Energy Nepal.
Work has slowly resumed at Khanal's organization. After a month of lending a hand in the earthquake relief work, the Clean Air and Mobility Unit are only now slowly turning their focus to their area of expertise. They aren't specifically running any projects right away but they have gone back to their research on Kathmandu's air quality management. Down the line, in the immediate future they also see themselves lobbying for environment friendly activities like cycling or campaign like 'Ktm Walks'.
However, Khanal refuses to blame the recent disaster for the authorities' lack of concrete plans to tackle air pollution in the capital. He believes such incompetence was evident before the earthquake as well.
"We have known that the level of small particulate matters in Kathmandu's air is estimated to be 20 times over the WHO's safer upper limit for a couple of years now. Several doctors have been confirming that increasing number of valley residents are suffering from severe air pollution related diseases and deaths as well. But still there were no plans to earnestly apply proper strategies and redeem the situation to begin with," says Khanal.
He agrees that several parties are carrying out high standard researches on the dismal quality of Kathmandu's air but the authorities are yet to be motivated by the findings and earnestly take the necessary actions. There seems to be no intention to issue air pollution taxes. The number of vehicles on the road is steadily increasing from the estimated seven hundred thousand. The green sticker policy is a bust and as it turns out, even the three air-monitoring instrument at the Department of Environment isn't functioning.
Surendra Subedi, Deputy Director General of the Department of Environment guarantees that the situation will be rectified soon.
"We have already asked for new air monitoring instruments. Starting next month, we should get back to our normal pace. The aftermath of the quake isn't going to distract us. The Nepal government has sufficient funds to support environmental issues. Lack of skilled manpower and facilities like labs tend to be more of a challenge but we shall deal with that too," assures Subedi.
At the Clean Energy Nepal office, Khanal claims to have heard these promises several times before. So the plan right now is to focus on their own work. Along with submitting their reports on air quality management with options of possible strategies to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, they also plan to go out in the field next month.
Khanal explains he is curious to see the public's reaction. Next month's 'Ktm Walks' campaign will allow them to officially gauge the public's sentiments on air pollution issues post the earthquake.
Animal Welfare: Rising above
President of Animal Welfare Network (AWN) Nepal, Manoj Gautam's aim these days is to meet up and chat with as many members of the constitutional assembly as possible. His goal at the moment is to collect 100,000 signatures in favor of including animal welfare issues into our country's constitution.
"Did you know Nepal and Afghanistan are the only two countries whose constitution does not address concerns of animal welfare?" asks Gautam. Far from issues of ethical treatment of animals being sidelined, Gautam feels that the recent earthquake has unwittingly helped awaken people's conscience on the matter.
"Five days after the earthquake we gathered people of all our member organizations and began planning ways to provide rescue and treatment to animals who had been victims of the unfortunate disaster. From Sindhupalchowk, Kavre to Dolakha, we dispatched teams to more than half a dozen affected areas. This, in a way enabled us to highlight the message of humane and responsible treatment of animals far and wide," explains Gautam.
In their experience, Nepalis apparently often express genuine shock at the thought of a rescue and relief team designed for animals. In times when people themselves are in dire need of assistance, Gautam shares that there were locals who questioned their importance. But he confirms that there were also many folks throughout the earthquake affected areas who were pleased to have trained professionals at hand, helping them take care of their domesticated animals. AWN Nepal reportedly treated more than 12,000 animals during their relief work and so far they have managed to give follow-ups as well.
"We understand that the government has to focus on rebuilding the nation. That's going to be of paramount importance at the moment. However, we need somebody to voice concern for the animals as well. That's where we come in. We don't want to lose this little momentum that we have managed to gain through our relief work. People are more aware about animal welfare. It's an issue that is being discussed so we plan to carry on," says Gautam.
AWN Nepal is currently ensuring that the surviving animals are not undermined. While the government may be more interested in restocking the cows to make up for the ones that perished, AWN Nepal is focusing on ensuring that the fundamental animal welfare concerns such as veterinary care, wholesome food, and proper handling are met.
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