Jhapa, April 8: Locals have demanded control of pollution in the Jhapa section of the East-West Highway, which is being upgraded with the loan assistance of the Asian Development Bank and in partnership with the Government of Nepal.
In an interaction organized by the Industry and Commerce and Labor and Consumer Welfare Committees under the House of Representatives at the District Administration Office on Monday, local stakeholders demanded effective initiatives to control pollution.
Tika Raj Dhakal, former president of the Koshi Province of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that dust has not been controlled on the roads being upgraded on the Asian Highway, making travel difficult and the environment polluted. He complained that since it is a dry and windy season, dust from the roads has taken the form of air pollution, causing serious harm to the health of the general public.
Mohan Kaji Neupane, central member of the Consumer Awareness Campaign, drew the committee’s attention to the public’s complaints about uncontrolled dust in the under-construction section of the Asian Highway from Kakadbhitta to Damak. Stating that not only highway travelers but also residents living near the road are suffering from dust, he demanded that the construction company that has been contracted to build the road be instructed to immediately control the dust.
He opined that dust can be controlled by sprinkling water on the highway five times a day, and emphasized that the diversion areas of bridges and culverts, which are in the form of deep ditches, should be made convenient for vehicle movement. Chief District Officer Gopal Prasad Adhikari stated that there have been repeated complaints about dust pollution spread during the highway construction and expressed his commitment to take initiatives to resolve the problem by calling on the concerned construction entrepreneurs and government agencies.
MP LP Sawwa, coordinator of the parliamentary committee team that came for the monitoring, expressed the view that the problems pointed out by the concerned could be resolved through local initiatives, and directed the concerned bodies on behalf of the committee to remove the suffering faced by the general public during the highway construction.
Avrascon Kalika JV is currently undertaking the highway upgrade work through a contract on the 45-kilometer east-west highway from Kakadbhitta to Padajungi in Jhapa.
The Kakadbhitta-Laukahi Road Planning Office, Damak, has been given the responsibility of monitoring this eastern section of the highway. Out of 143 culverts, 93 are under construction and preparations are underway to start work on 17 out of 18, informed Sunil Babu Pant, Project Chief Engineer, Planning Office, Damak. The construction agreement for this project was signed on Kartik 2, 2080 BS and the deadline for completion is Magh 19, 2083 BS.
