To address air pollution in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley and its harmful impacts on health, education, and climate, FHI 360 is leading a consortium of partners, including the Asian Institute of Technology, the Environment and Public Health Organization, the Energy Policy Institute of the University of Chicago, and One to Watch Pvt. Ltd., in implementing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Clean Air program. Together with our partners, we are supporting the government of Nepal to execute the Kathmandu Valley Air Quality Management Action Plan (2020) and improve air quality in Kathmandu Valley by approaching national ambient air quality standards — leading to improved health and educational outcomes.
To work toward meeting the air quality standards, FHI 360 has collaborated with five municipalities — Changunarayan, Chandragiri, Lalitpur, Kathmandu and Shankharapur — to conduct listening tours with local communities. We also partnered with Duke University and Tribhuvan University to facilitate the installation of 30 low-cost air quality sensors in all municipalities of Kathmandu Valley. The listening tours and air quality sensors generated qualitative and quantitative evidence, which we are using to provide technical support to the municipalities in their execution of the Kathmandu Valley Air Quality Management Action Plan.
USAID Clean Air also facilitates dialogues about air pollution among civil society organizations and communities and supports them to engage with media. In this way, we are supporting citizens in their efforts to advocate for government and private sector accountability in reducing air pollution. With private sector stakeholders, we are working to create green jobs and connect marginalized communities to those opportunities. For example, we have worked to get Safa Tempos — electric three-wheel vehicles that provide public transportation — back on Kathmandu’s streets, and we have trained women from marginalized communities to drive the vehicles. USAID Clean Air continues to build connections and support new private sector enterprises to spur innovations that address air pollution.