COMPONENT 3 - Environmental Monitoring

Immediate Objective: Environmental monitoring and advisory services are available on a sustainable basis to the industries, authorities, NGOs, citizens and other stakeholders within the Project area and in the Eastern Development Region.

This component aims to establish and implement an effective environmental monitoring and evaluation system as a part of the environmental management system at local and regional levels. A monitoring system producing timely and reliable information as to support environmental decision making will be created.
The proposed environmental monitoring system will accumulate, systematize and analyze information; on the state of the environment; on the causes of observed and probable changes in the state of the environment (i.e. about the sources and factors of influence); on the allowable extent of changes and loads on the environment as a whole.
The accredited environmental laboratory in Biratnagar founded by SEAM-N in April 2003 is the strong foundation upon which SEAM-N Phase II will build and develop an environmental service center (ENSC) in order to extend the product range and to ensure long term sustainability of the laboratory. The ENSC will be established under the public private partnership (PPP) model. Apart from laboratory services it will provide also CP, OHS, GIS, environmental information and Pollution Control Certificate (PCC) related services to the industries, local bodies and other stakeholders. Partial financial support will be provided by the SEAM-N in order to achieve a full-fledged partnership for sustainable management and operation of the laboratory and ENSC.

Water quality monitoring networks at regional level will be established. A preliminary national water quality monitoring plan will be drafted in close collaboration with MOEST and relevant organization. The concept of water quality monitoring groups, Waterwatcher Committee, will be extended to as many of the prioritized VDCs as possible. Monitoring and assessment of the use of pestcide in agro-sector will be taken into consideration. Similarly, assessment of ambient air quality in selected sites of project area will be done.

A GIS based environmental database - Environmental Management Information System (EMIS) – will be created covering the whole project area. The EMIS will be handled by the information unit of ENSC which will offer GIS services for various project offices, DDC's, municipalities, VDC's and other customers.

SMS (self monitoring system) in 50 new industries will be promoted through technical assistance and by providing partial financial support in terms of equipment. Industries will be extensively supported for the compliance to the rule 16 of environmental protection rule (EPR) – pollution control certificate (PCC) - provisions and other related government environmental regulation and standards.

The local authorities – district development comittee offices - will be strengthened to carry out environmental administration tasks efficiently. For this purpose the agreed environmental structures will be designed and strengthened with mutual cooperation of DDC offices. More importantly, the DDC offices will be supported for the implementation of environmental powers under the environmental protection rule (EPR) rules 16 to 20 delegated by the miinistry of environmental science and technology (MOEST). Similarly, the support to DDC offices for creating complaint handling mechanisms, issuing pollution control certificates (PCC), initiating inspections and compliance monitoring will be prioritised. The coordination with ministries - MoEST, MoI, MLD - and other relevant organisation in this connection will be maintained.


Key Activities:

- Establishment of the environmental service center (ENSC) in the eastern development region of Nepal;
- Extension of environmental laboratory services in the eastern development region
- Planning and designing of environmental administration structure of local authorities - district development committee (DDC) offices – for implementation of environmental rules and regulations at local level;
- Assisting DDC offices to create and implement environmental complaint handling system;
- Preparation of environmental inspection procedures for local and regional level authorities;
- Supporting in the development and implementation of self monitoring system (SMS) in the industries;
- Assisting Industries to comply to the environmental regulations and obtain Pollution Control Certificate (PCC);
- Planning and implementation of water quality monitoring plans and programs in cooperation with concerned district and regional authorities;
- Monitoring and assessment of pesticide use in agriculture products in project area;
- Assessment of ambient air quality monitoring in the project are;
- Development of GIS based Environmental Management Information System;