Fomulation of a Comprehensive National Strategy and Action-Plan to Attenuate Major Environment and Occupational Health Risks Pertinent in Urban Setting

Abstract

Background: In Nepal, the planners and policy makers started realizing the importance of environmental and occupational health risk issues basically from the Sixth Plan (1980- 85). However, there is no sign of any meaningful change in environmental and occupational health risks in the urban areas. This is also due to the fact that major environmental and occupational health risk factors had not been identified in the country and there was also a lack of strategic action plan to address such issues. Hence, the present study was carried out to: (a) Identify the major environmental and occupational health risk factors in urban settings; (b) Prepare strategic action-plan to attenuate public health risks caused by major environmental and occupational health and safety situations within the urban settings; and (c) Disseminate the prepared strategic action plan by organizing a dissemination workshop. Methods: Both the secondary and primary source materials were used for data collection. The secondary source information was collected from various publications of government and non-governmental agencies, international organizations and different other sources. Similarly, the primary source data were collected partly by interviewing the key resource persons and partly through observations made on the state of environmental and occupational health risks in four urban settings of the country, including in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Birgunj and Nepalgunj. Data, thus, collected through the secondary and primary sources were analyzed and were put in tabular form to make them presentable. Results: It was found that the protection of environment was essential for the growth of Gross Domestic Production (GDP), sustainable development of the national economy and poverty alleviation. Hence, the environmental and health policies, rules and regulations, and health guidelines and standards were developed for the improvement of environmental health situation in Nepal. Yet the environmental problems related to air, land, water and noise pollution are most precarious in urban areas like in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Birgunj and Nepalgunj for their adverse effect on the health of the people. Considering this, a strategic action plan framework was developed and implemented.

Conclusions: Considering the adverse effects of environmental problems on the health of the people in urban areas, a strategic action plan was developed and implemented to control the pollution level in the urban settings and urban health risks. Keywords: environment; environmental problems; occupational; strategic action plan; health risks; urban.