Kathmandu, March 11
The World Bank has extended support to Nepal’s Clean Air and Prosperity Project to reduce industrial air pollution and strengthen air quality management. The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved Rs 7.7 billion in credit for the project.
The project will help reduce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions, particularly from industrial and commercial boilers and furnaces, while strengthening national air quality management systems. “Air pollution is not only a public health crisis but also a significant economic burden in Nepal, costing the country more than six per cent of GDP each year through health costs and lost labour productivity,” said David Sislen, Division Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
This project aims to protect millions of people from harmful pollution by helping Nepali enterprises adopt cleaner and more efficient technologies that, at the same time, also lower operating costs, improve competitiveness, and support sustainable industrial growth, he added.
