Natural Environmental Issues, Energy Situation in Nepal

Natural Environmental Issues

All creatures, living and inanimate, found naturally on Earth or a specific portion of it, are considered to be a part of the natural environment. It is a setting where all living things interact with one another. Climate, weather, and natural resources that impact economic activity and human existence. Our surroundings are ever-changing. There can be no denial. But as our environment changes, so does the requirement to become more conscious of the issues it raises. People need to be aware of the environmental issues our planet is facing due to a tremendous influx of warming, natural disasters, cooling periods, various forms of weather patterns, and much more.

Issues

• Water and Air Pollution
  • It takes millions of years for pollution of the air, water, and soil to be cleaned up. Pollutants from motor vehicles and industries are the most prevalent. Plastic, nitrates, and heavy metals are examples of poisons that cause pollution. While acid rain, oil spills, and urban runoff contribute pollution to the water, air pollution is brought on by factories, industries, and the burning of fossil fuels, and soil pollution is mostly brought on by industrial waste that deprives the soil of vital nutrients. Drinking water that is clean is getting harder to find. The struggle for water is turning into a political and economic concern as more people compete for it. One of the suggestions is to use the desalinization procedure. Our rivers, seas, and oceans are being overflowed with harmful chemicals as a result of industrial development, which poses a serious risk to human health. Burning wood for fuel is a substantial cause of indoor air pollution and respiratory issues, and sedimentation and industrial effluent discharge are significant sources of water pollution. Air pollution in metropolitan areas is increasingly being caused by industrial pollutants and vehicle traffic.
• Deforestation and Land Degradation
  • The worst problem for economic growth and people's livelihoods appears to be land degradation and deforestation, which appear to affect a much larger percentage of the population. Soil erosion, floods, and stagnating agricultural productivity have all been made worse by forest loss. Population increase, erroneous pesticide use, and too intensive use of landholdings that are too little to feed the majority of households enough are all blamed for land degradation. It is the removal of soil by water or wind, which is exacerbated by inefficient farming methods, logging, overgrazing, and deserts.
• Overpopulation
  • The expanding Nepalese population poses a serious threat to the local ecosystem. The population of Nepal was estimated at 18.5 million in the 1991 census. The population was estimated to be 22 million in 2000. (MFSC, 2000). According to MoPE (a), 2000, 53% of this population will increase in the next 26 years and is currently below the absolute poverty level. The population is causally impacted by poverty, and vice versa, which causes the ecosystem to deteriorate. The population's rapid rise increased the need for land for food production as well as for fire wood, fodder, and timber (MFSC, 2000).
• Global Warming 
  • Human activities like the release of greenhouse gases are the cause of climate changes like global warming. Rising ocean and surface temperatures due to global warming result in the melting of the polar ice caps, an increase in sea levels, and unnatural precipitation patterns like flash floods, too much snow, or deserts.
• Acid Rain
  • Because of specific contaminants in the atmosphere, acid rain occurs. Fossil fuel combustion, volcanic eruptions, or decaying vegetation that produces nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere can all contribute to acid rain. A well-known environmental issue, acid rain can have a negative impact on aquatic life, wildlife, and human health.

Energy Situation in Nepal

The insufficient energy supply in Nepal is having an impact on its economic and social development. The nation lacks its own coal, gas, or oil deposits. Although water is the country's most important source of energy, fewer than 1% of the potential 83,000 megawatts of hydropower are currently under control. More than 70% of energy usage in the United States comes from firewood. Its use is ineffective, though, and endangers the nation's forests. The indoor air pollution caused by open hearths in homes also poses a health risk. About 30% of the population lacks access to mains electricity, which is often only available in urban areas (CBS 2011).

Environmentally responsible practices must be followed when using hydropower resources. Small and microbusinesses should profit from the energy produced, which should also raise the standard of life and improve the health of the community. By feeding into the national grid, it should safeguard forests while also generating fresh income for the area. The population is only around 70% electrified, with roughly 63% of people living in rural regions (CBS 2011), making biomass by far the most common primary energy source. The average yearly per capita power usage in Nepal is 161 kWh (CBS2013), which is among the lowest in South Asia. Despite having a considerable hydroelectric potential, Nepal is currently experiencing a severe and protracted difficulty with its electricity supply. A non-cost-covering tariff regime inhibits efficient electricity use, and the framework conditions and incentives for private investments in power plants are insufficient.

Nepal's energy usage is higher than that of other nations relative to its gross domestic product (GDP). For the electrical sector or biomass, which is its main primary energy source, it does not yet have a strategy for effective and sustainable energy usage. The importance of the electricity supply increases during the dry season when it is switched off for many hours each day, having an adverse effect on businesses and households. The advantages of using energy more efficiently from an ecological and financial standpoint are mostly unknown to the business sector, private homes, the governmental sector, and the public at large. Lighting, products, energy-efficient home appliances, and industrial processes are not subject to any criteria.

According to official policy documents, Nepal's energy industry is crucial to the achievement of set development goals and to future inclusive economic growth. The government also declares its commitment to sector reforms and the promotion of private sector involvement, in addition to quantitative targets for electricity production, transmission, and distribution. Extension of rural electrification and a commitment to energy efficiency are given additional weight. The lack of adequate electricity supply in Nepal remains a major barrier to the social and economic development of the nation despite repeated efforts by the government and assistance from development partners.

Deferred infrastructure investment in the electricity sector has resulted in planned power outages that can last up to 16 hours per day during the dry season. Commercial and industrial organizations increasingly use pricey diesel generators as it is anticipated that the issue would get worse in the future. The rise in total exports due to the import of petroleum products is a factor in Nepal's trade balance imbalance. With the support of the Development Partners, the spread of renewable energy in rural regions has been successfully fostered during the past ten years. Decentralized energy production and biogas installations improve rural living conditions and help make biomass use more environmentally friendly. Energy efficiency is becoming more important as a result of rising energy costs and prevailing energy constraint. It has been concluded that both public infrastructure and business and homes have reasonable potential for energy efficiency solutions.

References

CBS, 2011 Nepal Living Standards Survey 2010/11, Statistical Report Volume 1, Central Bureau of Statistics, National Planning Commission Secretariat, Government of Nepal.

CBS, 2013 Nepal in Figures 2013 Central Bureau of Statistics, National Planning Commission Secretariat, Government of Nepal

WECS 2014, Energy Data Sheet, Water, and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS), Government of Nepal, June 2014.