Plastic waste in river: An environmental concern

Nepal, especially Kathmandu, has been frequently flooded this year. Over 200 people died due to the flood in Kathmandu. The reason for the flood is considered “land encroachment,” and many people believe that the rivers are regaining their lost areas. But is it the only reason? Is the loss of 200 people the only destruction that this flood would cause?

Various studies show that plastic wastes in rivers in urban areas increase the risk of flooding as it blocks the flow of water. Rivers have been considered the major transporter of plastic wastes in the ocean that eventually damages the water ecosystem. This deposition is increased by flood as water entering into the cities carries all the plastic waste with its flow causing unwanted plastic deposition in land areas and also into the ocean. 

As we can see plastic does not only pollute the land areas, the major effects of plastics occur on river ecosystems and the health of fish by causing intestinal blockage, reproductive problems, and general body weakening, which hampers the ecological balance due to their vulnerability to predators. 

Furthermore, the degradation of larger plastic items into Microplastics creates more danger, as tiny particles can be ingested by a wide range of living organisms, thus disturbing the food chain. Humans have huge impacts on their health, causing various damages in response to consuming unhealthy fish. 

These could cause inflammation, cancer, organ dysfunction, neurotoxicity, and even reproductive and developmental toxicity. The rivers of Nepal are highly polluted by plastics, which have become one of the most pervasive pollutants.

According to the World Bank estimates, Nepal generates approximately 4,900 tons of solid waste each year, and 13 percent of it is plastic waste. 

Besides that, around 20 percent of the produced waste is not disposed of properly. Plastic bags used daily in Kathmandu range from approximately 4,700,000 to 4,800,000 pieces. Plastic waste constitutes 16 percent of the urban waste in Nepal, which amounts to 2.7 tons of daily production of plastic garbage. And guess what? Conditions were not like these a few decades back. Many rivers of Kathmandu, such as Bagmatai and Vishnumati, had a continuous flow of clean and translucent water during the 70s and 80s.

However, on the contrary, the study carried out by Nepal River Conservation Trust shows that from 15 km to 160 km, the water is not suitable for the Bagmati aquatic life, irrigation, or drinking. The suitable pH range is of 6.5 to 8.5, but it exceeded with more than 9 pH levels showing chemical constituents such as high concentrations of ammonia, nitrate, total dissolved solid, phosphate iron, and other hazardous chemicals taking it to the dead pool for aquatic water systems. 

If that is the case, do Nepali law and executive bodies address these problems? 

Various laws of Nepal such as the Waste Management National Policy 2079, the Environment Protection Act 2076, the Solid Waste Management Act 2068, Plastic Bag Reduction and Regulation Directive 2011, etc., along with numerous river cleaning initiatives. From the analysis of different legal frameworks of Nepal, it appears that these above-mentioned laws address the pollutants and hazardous waste at the border labels but fail to take account of plastic waste in a very scientific and practical manner. The implementation programs and campaigns operated seem like “social-media content” rather than actual cleaning and mitigation of the problem. 

The legal framework has not filled the gap as it lacks the proper measures to clean the ongoing and past plastic collection in the rivers and banks. Different countries have gone from polluted rivers to clean water by applying various legal frameworks. For the protection of the Rhine River, an agreement among several European countries had been made. The EU has set some benchmarks when in 2019, it introduced the Single-Use Plastics Directive 2019 is mandatory for all its member states who are now legally bound to do away with harmful, single plastic bags.

Besides, the Dutch Waste Management Act has inclusions to manage plastic waste and prevent it from entering water bodies. Always in the Netherlands, there are river clean-up campaigns in the Netherlands that systematically remove plastics and other waste from the Rhine. Advanced technologies have been employed, such as the ‘Great Bubble Barrier’ creating a curtain of air bubbles across rivers to push plastic waste to the surface for easier collection in the Rhine River. These techniques can be very well applied in Nepal once proper infrastructural development is made.

Japan has been using drones and surveillance systems to find and target areas with higher plastic waste concentrations, monitoring it further, which could be a smart way of removing the existing plastic waste from the rivers. Another thing in which Japan sets itself ahead of many countries is the psychological understanding of its citizens who consider themselves responsible for the waste thrown, acquiring the second highest plastic management Index. Japan has a high collection rate of 93 percent and a recycling rate of 85.8 percent for plastic waste as per 2019 report. 

In its 2019 strategy, Japan has mentioned circular economy as plastic waste management, a strategy which focuses on three milestones: Charging fees to reduce single-use plastics, enforcing waste segregation for efficient recycling and promoting sustainable alternatives like paper and bio plastics.

India has begun strategizing with the placement of barriers along the river to catch the floating plastics in the Sabarmati River. This appears to work in catching the instant plastic waste that has been floating from one river to another. Nepal can take insight to foster the effectiveness of the different campaigns to improve the aquatic ecosystem. 

Countries like Rwanda and most European nations have put a complete ban on single-use plastic and use of a circular economy for the better management of plastic waste. Measures taken in foreign countries might not be the solution but they can be an effective road map towards the solutions. 

The Green Shift Nepal Project, a four year project being implemented in Nepal also offers opportunities to support plastic waste enterprises and up cycling enterprises, with a grant amount of Rs 12m. Moreover, Bagmati UNESCO Club also organized a policy hackathon ‘Nepal Plastic Policy Hackathon 2024’. It has been initiated with the aim of promoting a circular economy and achieving net-zero carbon emission in Nepal. All these initiatives are already serving as stepping stones toward environmental sustainability and the management of plastic waste. 

We can commute together to get to the clean river where we would be able to swim, just as it was in the 70s and 80s. And would you believe if I told you these wastes can help us economically? 

We can make it by a waste-to-energy approach that can reduce the waste while generating energy. These wastes can be formed into electricity, heat, or biogas which can be used to power homes, industries, or waste treatment plants by using various technologies. Through recycling programs, locals can get job opportunities and it would be cost-effective as recyclable products are reused. Also, we cannot underestimate revenue generation via tourist attraction in plastic and pollution free water resources. Kathmandu can enhance its beauty with clean water resources that would complement its heritages, temples and people.

The flood caused due to blockage of water flow due to a lump of waste is deducted reducing the risk of flood. The flowing waters carry plastic and Microplastic towards the sea that can hamper the other water resources ecosystem that causes various diseases. 

Not only this, fish, humans and other animals can also get saved from the harmful Microplastics. 

Why do we finally get serious at implementing our current provisions and then undertake even bolder steps to foster good health, healthy environment, and a little contribution in cleaning seas? 

Deepshikha Pandey

BA LLB, IInd Semester 

National Law College