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The level of air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley declined today as compared to the previous day. 

It is said that the less flow of motor vehicles today, the public holiday for the Gyalpo Lhosar, caused the air pollution level to fall. 

Till 1 pm of Tuesday, the Kathmandu Valley's Air Quality Index was 191, unhealthy for all. Today, it dropped to 114 at the same hour.  On Tuesday, the Kathmandu Valley was listed the third most polluted city across the world and today, it ranks at 14. 

Today, Lahore of Pakistan is listed as the most polluted city in the world with AQI 193 while Dakar, Capital of Senegal, comes in second place with AQI 192. 

AQI 101–150, highlighted in orange, is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, who may experience health effects. 

According to environment expert Bhushan Tuladhar, the role of the transport sector is crucial for the determination of air pollution.

Vehicles are considered the direct source of air pollution. According to Superintendent of Police, Naresh Raj Subedi, the vehicular traffic on a public holiday decreased tentatively by around 10 percent.

The Mude-Charikot road which is connected to the capital has always been facing problems. The contract was given to Shakil Haider-Shankarmali Sunaulo Khimti JV in 2015, but the progress remains still with dust, potholes and risk. 

As elections approach, this road becomes a ‘special political agenda’ of the commitments to leaders. 110 km of road is being constructed under the Lamosangu-Charikot-Jiri Road Project with the aim of improving and expanding the single-lane road built 40 years ago to make it a double-lane road. Out of this, the Mude-Charikot section is the second section, which was awarded the contract with a target of completion within two years.

The first and third sections have been completed and handed over to the Division Road Office and are undergoing regular maintenance. However, this important section in the middle has been incomplete for years. Since the project has a loan from the Indian Exim Bank, there is a mandatory provision that 51 percent Indian ownership and 51 percent Indian construction materials should be provided. However, structural constraints, management weaknesses, and constant decision-making changes did not allow the work to proceed.

Eight project managers changed during this period and no development has been done. Due to repeated changes in the work variations, the project cost has increased from Rs 790m to about Rs 900m. The contractor has been paid Rs 810m so far.

There are records of the deadline being extended up to eight times after the work was not completed on time. Project manager Shambhu Prasad Acharya said that a contract notice was issued for repairs after Shakil Haider did not work. However, two years after the notice was issued, the High Court revived the old agreement and issued an interim order to Shakil Haider to do the work.

The project chief Acharya said that since there was a commitment to complete the work by April 3, they are waiting if it is not completed even after that, they will go to legal proceedings. The locals have the same complaint, they remember the road only when the elections come, they forget it after seeking votes, and after the elections are over. This main road connecting the capital should be the backbone of development, but it has become a tool of political speech.

The Charikot road is not just an election agenda, it is the economic, social and emergency lifeline of Dolakha. Tourism, trade and health services are all affected if this road is not managed. Therefore, now it is not a commitment limited to the speeches of the leaders, but a concrete action plan with a deadline, responsibility and penalties is needed.

The departure point of the Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhes Expressway may change due to a dispute over land and cultural heritage in Khokana. Due to the dispute, construction work has not yet begun at the departure point in Khokana.

The government has directed the Nepal Army, which has been entrusted with the construction of the expressway, to revise the Detailed Project Report (DPR). According to the revised DPR, preparations are being made to build a toll plaza (toll collection house) in the Farsidol area, about 3.3 kilometers downstream of Khokana. If an agreement cannot be reached with the locals, the departure point itself is likely to be shifted to Farsidol.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki has instructed them to move forward with an alternative plan if the dispute in Khokana cannot be resolved. The Prime Minister has expressed concern from the community that it will affect the religious and cultural heritage and local beliefs in Khokana, but the project should be moved forward even if the dispute is pending.

In a discussion held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Tuesday, Prime Minister Karki had directed to immediately move forward with an alternative plan related to the expressway project.

Earlier, on Jan 27, Prime Minister Karki had also inspected the under-construction expressway. During the inspection, she stressed that local concerns should be taken seriously while developing and constructing the project, and stressed that the national pride project should be completed quickly, even if the starting point is changed.

Although the Khokana dispute appears to be related to land, the Nepali Army has stated that a political and policy decision is necessary, and has not started construction work in the area. According to Nepali Army Spokesperson Rajaram Basnet, since the army is the implementing agency in the field, the government should make policy decisions.

During the discussion, the Nepali Army had briefed on the progress of the project so far, the problems seen and the expectations from the government. Prime Minister Karki had given clear instructions not to delay development work unnecessarily and not to stop the project due to disputes. As per the same directive, the DPR amendment process has been taken forward to construct a toll plaza at Farsidol, 3.3 kilometers below Khokana.

After three months of spending the night in darkness, the residents of Samagaun and Samdo in northern Gorkha have finally been able to turn on the electricity. The lights started to turn on a few days ago after the equipment of the damaged Samagaun micro-hydropower project was repaired, informed Bir Bahadur Lama, chairperson of the project.

There is no motorable road to Samagaun and Samdo located in Chumanubri Rural Municipality-1 in the Manaslu region. Lama said “It could not be repaired in Nepal. It took a long time to bring the equipment from India for repair.” He said that the repaired equipment in the village, which does not have a motorable road, was transported to the village by helicopter. “The cost of transporting it by helicopter was also very high. Though we were able to turn on the lights in Lhosar.”

An organization called Kaduri generated 100 kW of electricity from the Samagaun Hydropower Project for about 300 households in Chumanubri-1 Samagaun and Samdo five years ago.