State Silence over Black Smoke

Kathmandu’s air pollution is no longer merely an environmental inconvenience. It has become a serious crisis involving public health and the state’s responsibility toward its citizens. A recent World Bank study identified the Kathmandu Valley and the Tarai as Nepal’s major air pollution hotspots. It found that there had been no significant improvement over the past decade and estimated that air pollution causes around 26,000 premature deaths annually in Nepal while reducing average life expectancy by 3.4 years. The economic cost exceeds six percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Kathmandu has repeatedly appeared on lists of the world’s most polluted cities. In 2025, Nepal’s annual average concentration of PM2.5 was 7.5 times higher than the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization. Even in April 2026, Kathmandu’s Air Quality Index exceeded 190, placing the city in the unhealthy category.

Kathmandu’s pollution comes from many sources: industries, brick kilns, construction activities, road dust, the burning of waste and organic materials, and polluted air carried from surrounding regions. However, buses, trucks, minibuses and other diesel vehicles that travel along major roads while releasing thick clouds of black smoke are pollution sources operating directly under the eyes of the authorities. No new study or law is required to stop them.

During surprise inspections conducted by Kathmandu Metropolitan City in January 2025, nearly one-third of the diesel vehicles tested failed to meet prescribed emission standards. Reports also revealed that some vehicles failed the city’s tests on the very day they had received green stickers from the Department of Transport Management. This raises serious questions not only about the vehicles operating on the roads but also about the credibility of the emissions-testing and certification system.

The metropolitan authority began imposing fines of Rs 1,000 on vehicles that failed the tests through the traffic police. Yet, a few months later, the inspections were suspended indefinitely after officials cited the expiry of a mechanical engineer’s contract. Allowing citizens’ exposure to poisonous air to depend on the contract of a single employee reflects not only administrative incompetence but also indifference toward public health.

The answer to the question of who is responsible for controlling pollution is clear. The Department of Transport Management and transport offices under provincial governments must conduct impartial and technically reliable emissions tests. The Department of Environment must monitor air quality and enforce emissions standards. Metropolitan and other local governments must conduct surprise roadside inspections. Traffic police must immediately stop vehicles that violate standards and send them for testing and repair. With effective coordination among these agencies, there is no legal or technical obstacle to taking action against vehicles that emit black smoke.

The authorities must stop pretending that distributing annual stickers is enough to fulfil their responsibility. Nepal needs a transparent inspection system supported by digital records. Regular surprise tests should be conducted on major roads, failed vehicles should be prohibited from operating until repaired, repeat offenders should face progressively higher fines, and public transport vehicles should undergo stricter inspections. When corruption or collusion is discovered at testing centres, the responsible officials and intermediaries must also face action.

The expansion of electric vehicles is a positive development, but it does not justify ignoring the thousands of vehicles currently releasing black smoke on Kathmandu’s roads. Clean air is not a luxury for citizens; it is part of their right to life. When vehicles can drive past traffic police while releasing thick clouds of black smoke, the problem is not a lack of law. It is a lack of will to enforce the law.