A cleaner, greener Nepal

MANJEET DHAKAL

In a bid to promote clean technology in the country, Nepal has more than 700 electric vehicles (Safa tempos) running in the valley—a commendable effort to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. Safa tempos are best driven for short distances and at relatively slow speeds, all of which suits the natural topography of Kathmandu valley. These green machines, which are mostly operated by women drivers, hold a lot of potential for the country’s economy and can tap Nepal’s massive hydropower potential to create a regional energy grid that contributes significantly in reducing GHG emission in the region. 

The Trolley Bus Service

The interurban line (Trolley Bus Service) that connects Kathmandu to the satellite towns ceased its operation around November 2008. Established in 1975 and managed by the Nepal Trolley Bus Service (NTBS) of Nepal Transportation Corporation (NTC), the system functioned well in its early stages. At that time, this was one of the cheapest and most desirable modes of transport in the valley. With the change in political set up in the country in the 1990s, the management of the trolley bus service encountered hostile government bureaucracy and the organization’s overstaffing resulted in huge losses for NTBS. The revenue collected from fares was not enough to pay even the electricity bills or staff salaries. Currently, its office compound at Baneshwar is occupied by another implausible project, the Melamchi Water Supply. A part of its space is managed as battery charging station for Safa tempos, where they get uninterrupted electric supply even during load shedding. 

THE BIRTH OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The advent of Safa Tempo’s in Kathmandu has replaced the notoriously environment unfriendly Vikram tempos that run on diesel. The development and promotion of Safa tempos in Nepal was initially supported through international projects. This later developed into a bigger EV industry with over 700 Safa tempos operating in more than 13 routes in Kathmandu. The journey was not as simple for other electric vehicles. When the first REVA car arrived in February 2001, it was bunged at the customs office for several months due to customs duty and additional special taxes. There are other similar stories for four and two wheeler electric vehicles that faced enormous challenges at all stages of import, registration and deployment to road and users. 
Today, there are more than 700 three wheeler, approximately 1500 two wheeler and few four wheeler electric vehicles on our roads. 

The prevailing law does not recognize a two wheeler as a ‘vehicle’ and that is why we do not have the exact figure of how many such vehicles are running in the country. 

Electric vehicles play a vital role in boosting the national economy of a country by making use of locally produced hydropower and minimizing air pollution as well as mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. It also contributes to an environmentally sustainable transport system and creates economic benefits for the country. More than 95 percent of our electricity comes from hydropower, which is undoubtedly a clean source of energy. Nepal has a soaring potential of hydro-electricity generation capacity that has remained untapped for many years.

LEVEL-PLAYING GROUND 

Various studies have confirmed that transportation is one of the major emitters of carbon dioxide, causing global warming. Likewise, it is very evident how polluted the air in Kathmandu is, for which our means of transport are mainly to blame. Considering these facts, stakeholders have come together to establish a permanent system to promote clean technology within a national framework. A team of bureaucrats from different line of ministries led by the director general of the Transportation Management Department, along with experts and stakeholders, is engaged in drafting a policy for the promotion of electric vehicles in the country. 

Changes in policies can make the EVs economically beneficial as well as competitive. Undoubtedly, the policy should focus on the promotion of manufacturing, conversion, import and use of these zero emission electric vehicles for public transportation as well as for movement of goods and also private use. Likewise, there are other issues such as effective battery management and its disposal and the management of charging stations for electric vehicles. With the advancement of technology within the country, there is a need for a new research and development entity, which can be facilitated by the establishment of a dedicated apex body within the government system in collaboration with research institutions or universities. 

Electric vehicles play a vital role in boosting the national economy by using locally produced hydropower and minimizing air pollution as well as mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

RENEWABLE ENERGY POTENTIAL

Despite Nepal’s huge potential in harnessing various renewable energy sources such as hydropower, solar power, wind energy and biofuels/bioenergy, it has been unable to sustainably capture them due to geographical, technical, political and economical reasons. Nepal will undoubtedly benefit from a long-term vision of realizing and utilizing its own hydroelectric power and reducing the import of expensive, polluting petroleum-based fossil fuels. EVs utilize hydropower electrical energy for charging batteries. Most of the country’s hydropower plants are powered by rivers with a huge portion of electricity just gets wasted during non-peak hours at night. This unused electricity could be used to charge batteries and operate battery-powered electric vehicles during the day and contribute to the improved living conditions of people in Nepal.

The author is Program Director, Clean energy Nepal

manjeet@cen.org.np

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रुट नपाउँदा इलेक्ट्रिक बस बिकेनन्

काठमाडौं, साउन १६ (नागरिक)- सार्वजनिक यातायातको रुपमा चलाउने रुट परमिट नपाएकाले राजधानीमा विद्युतीय बस भित्रिएको एक वर्षमा पनि बिक्री हुन सकेको छैन। यातायात व्यवसायीका संघहरुले रुट परमिटका लागि व्यवधान खडा गरेकाले बस बिक्री हुन नसकेको हो। गत वर्षदेखि राजधानीको बालुवाटारमा सोरुम खोलेर विद्युतीय बस बिक्री सुरु गरेको नेभी ट्रेड लिंकले हालसम्म एउटा मात्र बस बिक्री गरेको छ। त्यो पनि रुटमा चलाउने व्यवसायीलाई होइन, स्कुललाई।

रुट परमिटको समस्यासँगै लोडसेडिङले गर्दा पनि बस बिक्री हुन समस्या भएको छ। ‘बस बेच्न लोडसेडिङभन्दा पनि रुट परमिटको समस्या मुख्य देखियो,’ कम्पनीका अध्यक्ष विजयमान शेरचनले भने, ‘रुट परमिट लिन यातायात व्यवसायी महासंघको स्वीकृति लिनुपर्ने अनिवार्य व्यवस्थाले अप्ठेरो बनायो।’

प्रदूषण नगर्ने यस्ता बस किनेर चलाउन केही व्यवसायी उत्सुक भए पनि रुट परमिट समस्याकै कारण बिक्री नभएको उनले बताए। कम्पनीले एक वर्षमा एउटा बस बिक्री गरेको छ। यो बस रातो बंगाला स्कुलले किनेको हो।

‘रुट परमिट नपाएपछि इच्छुक व्यवसायीले पनि बस किन्न सकेका छैनन्,’ शेरचनले भने, ‘हामीले व्यवसायी संघ संस्थासँग छलफल गर्दैछौं, परमिट पाइएला जस्तो छ।’

प्रदूषण कम गर्ने खालका गाडी बिक्री बढ्ने अपेक्षा गर्दै राजधानीमा सफा टेम्पो चलाइरहेको नेभी समूहले गत वर्ष ब्याट्रीबाट चल्ने बस ल्याएको थियो। बससँगै बिक्री सुरु गरिएका कार भने बजारमा देखिन थालेका छन्। ‘रुट परिमिट समस्या नभएको भए बस पनि केही बिकिसक्थे,’ शेरचनले भने, ‘प्रोफेसनलले कार चाहिँ मन पराएका छन्।’

राजधानीमा ६ सय ५० वटा टेम्पो सञ्चालन गर्दै आएको नेभी समूहले सार्वजनिक यातायातको रुपमा चलाउन सकिने दुईखालका सफा बस बजारमा ल्याएको छ। चीनको गोन्जाउ लग्क्युङ इलेक्ट्रिक कार को-अपरेसनले उत्पादन गरेका सफा बस र कार बिक्री सुरु गरेको हो।

नेपाली ब्रान्ड नेममा कम्पनीले सफा बस र कारको बिक्री गर्दै आएको छ। कम्पनीले सफा-१ र सफा-२ ब्रान्ड नेममा १४ सिटे बस र बिजुली-१ र बिजुली-२ ब्रान्ड नेममा कार बजारमा ल्याएको छ। कम्पनीले एक वर्षमा १ सय ५० कार र बस बिक्री गर्ने लक्ष्य राखेको थियो।

सफा बसलाई यातायात व्यवस्था विभागले सार्वजनिक यातायतको रुपमा सञ्चालन अनुमति दिइसके पनि व्यवसायीका कारण बिक्री गर्न नसकिएको अध्यक्ष शेरचनले बताए। ‘हामीले रोड ओर्दिनेस टेस्ट पास गरिसकेका हौँ,’ उनले भने, ‘रुटको समस्या भएको मात्र हो।’ नेपाल यातायात व्यवसायी राष्ट्रिय महासंघका वरिष्ठ उपाध्यक्ष विजयबहादुर स्वारले भने विद्युतीय गाडीलाई रुट परमिट दिन महासंघले अवरोध नगरेको बताए।

उनले अहिले सफा टेम्पो चलेको रुटमा त्यसलाई हटाएर बस हाले आफूहरुले विरोध नगर्ने दाबी गरे। ‘महासंघले अप्ठेरो पारेको छैन,’ उनले भने, ‘पहिलेदेखि चलाइरहेकाको पनि समस्या हेर्नुपर्‍यो, पुरानो संरचना भत्काएरमात्र हुँदैन।’ उनले रुट परमिटको कारण देखाए पनि लोडसेडिङ र चार्जिङ स्टेसन नभएकाले व्यसायीले यस्ता बस नकिनेको दाबी गरे।

कम्पनीले हालसम्म ८ वटा कार भने बिक्री गरिसकेको छ। त्यसमध्ये ६ वटा बिजुली-२ र २ वटा बिजुली-१ कार बिक्री भएका हुन्। कम्पनीले बजारमा ल्याएका गाडीको ब्याट्री एकपटक चार्ज गरेपछि १ सय ६० किलोमिटरसम्म चलाउन सकिने दाबी गरेको छ। ६५ देखि १ सय ५ किलोमिटर प्रति घन्टाको गतिमा यी गाडी कुदाउन सकिने छ।

ह्याचब्याग सेडान समूहका फुल अप्सन कार बजारमा ल्याएको नेभीले यी कारमा मेन्टेन फ्रि ब्याट्री जडान भएको जनाएको छ। बसमा भने एसिड हाल्नुपर्ने खालको ब्याट्री जडान गरिएको छ। १ वर्ष वारेन्टी भएका गाडीमा जडिट ब्याट्री चार्च गर्न ८ देखि १० घन्टा लाग्छ भने पूरा चार्ज गर्न १८ युनिट विद्युत खपत हुन्छ।

कम्पनीले बजारमा ल्याएको बिजुली-१ कारको ब्याट्री क्षमता ७२ भोल्ट डिसी, ६.५ किलोवाट छ। यसको मूल्य साढे १० लाख रुपैयाँ छ। यसैगरी बिजुली-२ को ब्याट्री क्षमता १ सय २० भोल्ट डिसी ८.५ किलोवाट छ। यसको मूल्य साढे १९ लाख रुपैयाँ तोकिएको छ।

यसैगरी सफा-१ बसको ब्याट्री क्षमता ६७ भोल्ट एक्साइड ६.३ किलोवाट छ। यसको मूल्य साढे १६ लाख रुपैयाँ तोकिएको छ। सफा-२ बसको ब्याट्री क्षमता ७२ भोल्ट एक्साइड ५ किलोवाट छ। यसको मूल्य साढे १३ लाख पर्छ।

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Experts’ pill to cut down Kathmandu air pollution

KATHMANDU, JUL 31 –

Though Kathmandu Valley is said to be one of the most polluted cities of Asia, it still has time for improvement in terms of air pollution by focusing on its huge base of zero-emission non-motorised and sustainable public transport, according to experts.

Sharing their views during a briefing session on ‘Challenge of air quality and mobility management in South Asian cities’ in the Capital on Friday, experts from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a leading research and advocacy body based in New Delhi, India, said Kathmandu should not repeat the same mistake that Delhi and many other cities have made by focusing on road widening, building flyovers and facilitating personal mobility through cars.

The programme was jointly organised by the CSE and the Nepal Forum for Environmental Journalists.

Various studies have shown that more than 63 per cent of the daily travel trips in Kathmandu are still carried by buses. Similarly, pedestrians and cyclists together meet close to a quarter of the daily travel demand in Kathmandu. “These both are low polluting and low carbon mobility paradigm that the world is trying to achieve today to be more sustainable. Kathmandu must sustain this strength,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director and head of the CSE’s air pollution control unit at the programme.

Due to high particulate matter concentrations in Kathmandu, increased rate of mortality and various health complications, including air-borne diseases and skin diseases, are taking a toll on the public health.

Though Nepal has done some positive interventions to reduce air pollution, including the implementation of zero-emissions Euro I standard vehicles in 2003 and a ban on brick kiln, the city needs to do more to control pollution, expert said.

Some measures, shared by the experts, to control air pollution and traffic congestion in Kathmandu are scaling up and accelerating bus transport reforms, integrating public transport and non-motorised transport, building pedestrian infrastructure and strengthening ways to control emissions of vehicles.

Posted on: 2012-07-31 08:16

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Kathmandu can manage its urban transportation and become pollution-free if it builds on its strengths – its emission-free non-motorised transport: says CSE

 Kathmandu, July 27, 2012

• Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) organises media briefing in Kathmandu on ‘Challenge of air quality and mobility management in South Asian cities’
•  The valley’s air pollution results in approximately 1,600 premature deaths per year
• Kathmandu must not repeat the same mistake that Delhi and many other cities have made – of focusing on road widening, building flyovers and facilitating personal mobility through cars
• CSE suggests priority measures to control pollution and congestion

Kathmandu, July 27, 2012: For South Asian cities like Kathmandu and Delhi, maintaining urban air quality and protecting their sustainable urban commuting practices are some of the toughest challenges. Delhi, while having made some significant strides in meeting air quality challenges, has slipped and made terrible mistakes as well.

Kathmandu still has a chance to plan differently. Its strength remains in its huge base of zero-emission non-motorised and sustainable public transport. All it has to do is to recognise and act upon this immense advantage and strength.

This was the message that came from some top urban mobility and air pollution experts from Nepal and India, who were meeting here today to brief the Nepalese media about the ‘Challenge of air quality and mobility management in South Asian cities’. The briefing was organised by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a leading research and advocacy body based in New Delhi, in association with the Nepal Forum for Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ).

According to Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director and head of its air pollution control unit, “The profile of air pollution is changing rapidly in South Asian cities, with serious public health implications. Particulate matter (PM) concentrations are alarmingly high in Kathmandu, Delhi and many other South Asian cities.”

She adds: “A recent Environmental Performance Index (EPI) study of the Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy has ranked both Nepal and India’s performance in this area as very poor. A 2006 CAI-Asia report put both Delhi and Kathmandu amongst the most polluted of 22 Asian cities it surveyed. This pollution comes from motor vehicles, brick kilns and road dust. The high concentrations of particulate matters — PM10 and PM2.5 — in particular are known to cause serious health problems and excess mortality.”

Some gains, but a lot more needs to be done
The first generation action has reduced the overall PM10 average concentration in Kathmandu by 12 per cent from 2003 to 2007. The reduction is observed in spite of an increasing number of vehicles registered in the valley, and is attributed to the actions taken by the government during 2000-07, especially the implementation of the Euro I standard in 2003 and the ban on moving chimney bull’s trench kiln.

But Kathmandu needs to do more: available evidence shows that the health cost saving of the city’s air pollution control measures is close to 1 per cent of Nepal’s GDP. Air pollution in the valley has been taking a toll on the public health. A study conducted during February 2008 to January 2009 in Kathmandu and published recently in Atmospheric Pollution Research found high density traffic areas and road intersections of the valley severely polluted by PM10.

The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MoEST) estimated in 2005 that the valley’s air pollution results in approximately 1,600 premature deaths per year. According to an estimate by the Clean Energy Nepal/Environment and Public Health Organization (CEN/ENPHO), the total benefit of reducing the valley’s PM10 levels to 50 μg/m3 would amount to US $1.86 billion per year.

Using the WHO unit risks for benzene and PAH, the number of people expected to suffer from leukaemia due to benzene exposure amounts to 1-8 persons per 100,000; for PAH, the number is 16-32 persons per 100,000. Benefits of reducing benzene and PAH concentrations to half their current values would amount to US $30-70 million per year.

In Kathmandu, vehicle emissions contribute 38 per cent of the PM10 levels. Vehicular emissions and emissions of re-suspended dust from poorly maintained and uncleaned roads together are responsible for 63 per cent of the PM10 emissions in the valley. Agriculture and brick kilns are the third and fourth-highest contributors of PM10.

The Bagmati zone had 0.19 million registered vehicles in 2001-02. This number is increasing at 16 per cent per year. Nearly 59 per cent of the total registered vehicles in Kathmandu comprise of two-wheelers and cars and taxis. The public transport and bicycle share is 19 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively.

The increase in vehicle numbers is leading to traffic congestion and choked roads in the city. According to a study by Department of Transport Management (DoTM), the number of vehicles in Kathmandu had already exceeded the valley’s carrying capacity by about 30,000 in 1999/2000 fiscal year. More than 50,000 vehicles have been added since then, while the road infrastructure has remained more or less the same.

Kathmandu’s strengths
CSE’s review of available information brings out the strength of Kathmandu. Says Roychowdhury: “More than 63 per cent of the daily travel trips in Kathmandu are still carried by buses. Cars and two-wheelers are as much 42 per cent of the vehicle fleet but they carry a miniscule 10 and 5 per cent of the daily trips, respectively. Thus, cars occupy more road space, carry less number of people but use more fuel, and pollute more per person. It is also very significant that walkers and cyclists together meet close to a quarter of the daily travel demand in Kathmandu. This is the low polluting and low carbon mobility paradigm that the world is trying to achieve today to be more sustainable. Kathmandu must sustain this strength.”

Kathmandu must not repeat the same mistake that Delhi and many other cities have made – of focusing on road widening, building flyovers and facilitating personal mobility through cars. Both Kathmandu and Delhi need urgent policies to protect and build their strength. The second generation reforms will need tough action.

The way ahead
If South Asian cities do not want to wheeze, choke and sneeze then they have to act now. Kathmandu’s and Delhi’s work with CNG shows that they can make a difference. It is time to set new terms of action.

Soft options have all been exhausted. Reducing personal vehicle usage, upgrading public transport, walking and cycling, and leapfrogging vehicle technology are the key options left for us. Plan your cities for people, not vehicles. Design roads for public transport, cycling and walking, not cars. This is the option for the city to cut killer pollution, crippling congestion, expensive oil guzzling and global warming impacts of vehicles.

Some of the priority measures to combat pollution, congestion and energy guzzling include:

• Set a timeline to meet ambient air quality standards.
• Link import policy with the technology and fuel quality leapfrog to cleaner fuel and vehicle technology: Introduce Euro IV fuels nation-wide. Prevent fuel adulteration as one survey has shown that adulteration in petrol is about 35 per cent and in diesel as much as 75 per cent.
• Scale up and accelerate bus transport reforms.
• Integrate public transport, and non-motorised transport. Cities need to integrate bus, cycling, walking and para-transit systems.
• Build pedestrian infrastructure: Design pedestrian guidelines for approval of road projects and enhancement of the existing ones. Without proper walking facilities public transport usage cannot increase.
• Introduce a parking policy as a car restraint measures and to reduce congestion.
• Strengthen emissions checks on in-use vehicles.
• Use tax measures to discourage personal vehicle usage and inefficient use of fuels

CSE, one of India’s leading environmental think-tanks, has been in the forefront in combating air pollution and mobility crisis in Delhi. In the mid 1990s, its ‘Right to Clean Air’ campaign had kicked off a sequence of events which resulted in India’s capital getting one of the largest CNG-run public transport service and other important measures. Air quality registered a visible improvement following this.

For more information on this and other related issues, you can visit our website, www.cseindia.org or get in touch with Souparno Banerjee of CSE’s Media Resource Centre at souparno@cseindia.org or call him on +977 9803002379.

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NEPAL: Road traffic accidents on the rise

Photo: Reena Gurung/IRIN

Where roads can be as deadly as war

KATHMANDU, 27 July 2012 (IRIN) – Some 130 major accidents and thousands of minor ones are reported every day in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, says the country’s Traffic Directorate. At this rate, the roads are as deadly as the decade-long civil war that ended in 2006 after killing almost 18,000 people.

Rajju Shakya, 19, was driving her scooter to university in the capital last year. “There was a turning point at the junction. I switched on my sidelight and waited. Something hit from behind and I can’t remember anything else,” she said. Shakya lost both her legs below the knee as a result.

“The road traffic accident rate is frightening… The number of vehicles is increasing… The roads are narrow, and we don’t have enough space to expand these roads,” said Ashim Bajracharya, a senior lecturer in the architecture and urban planning department at Tribhuvan University’s Institute of Engineering, located in the capital.

The Word Health Organization’s (WHO) most recent Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study reported road traffic accidents as one of the fastest growing “epidemics” in the Southeast Asian region.

Most of the world’s road fatalities occur in low and middle-income countries, which have less registered vehicles, according to WHO.

The growing number of vehicles in Kathmandu has far outstripped road capacity, resulting in congestion that was fatal at times, Bajracharya said.

“The accident rate is particularly high among teenagers, so we have decided to submit a proposal to change the legal age to drive two-wheeled vehicles from 16 to 18,” Ganesh Raj Rai, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Traffic Directorate, told IRIN. The directorate is working with the Higher Secondary Schools’ Association Nepal to reach teenage drivers.

A UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) report in 2011 estimated that road traffic accidents in Nepal had increased fourfold in the last decade, leading to 1,734 fatalities nationwide in 2009-10.

Almost half of the people who die in road accidents are pedestrians, cyclists, or people on motor scooters and motorbikes, and many studies indicate that this proportion can be higher in poorer countries.

Nepal has built about 7,000 kilometres of roads nationwide in the past decade, according to the World Bank, but this still leaves more than half the population without access to all-weather roads.

Although the Traffic Directorate is implementing an accelerated road-building campaign, there is little awareness or information about traffic rules and road safety, which is part of problem.

“A new six-lane [13km] highway has been built in between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur [where] a large number of accidents were reported in less than a year. The government does not make the public aware about its new plans and this is where the problem resides,” said Kichah Chitrakar, chief executive of a local private engineering company, Development E-fort Nepal.

The Traffic Directorate is planning to introduce road safety education in schools, and said it is making awareness campaigns a priority.

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Broad-road initiative continues

KATHMANDU: The government today bulldozed structures built on encroached public land along the Balku-TU Gate and Teku-Municipality Office-Kuleshwor Ganesh Mandir road sections deploying riot police to quell possible protests.

The demolition of unauthorised private structures is part of the Kathmandu road expansion initiative of the Department of Roads, Kathmandu Valley Town Development Authority, Metropolitan Traffic Police Division and Kathmandu Metropolitan City that began six months ago.

DIG Ganesh Raj Rai, MTPD in-charge, informed that authorities have widened the Balkhu-TU Gate and Teku-Municipality Office- Kuleshwor Ganesh Mandir sections by 11 metres and seven metres on either side from the centre.

The authorities had to raze the structures after the locals ‘did not cooperate’ despite frequent notices to remove the structures built on encroached public land,’ he said, noting that officials, after marking the encroached sections, had appealed through loudhailers to remove ‘unauthorised’ structures to minimise the damage to properties.

Meanwhile, some people have complained that they are yet to get compensation for the damage incurred in the broad-road drive.

According to the government, it has demolished only those structures built in violation of a notice published on the Nepal Gazette on July 4, 1977 for which there will be no compensation.

It has asked people to apply for compensation with due evidence.

The government has so far widened roads having total length of 57km and plans to expand the stretches having total length of 400km.

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Expensive dreams

Prashanta Khanal

JUL 29 –

Recently, a Korean company was selected to carry out a feasibility study of the much-hyped metro train project in Kathmandu Valley. Around Rs. 70 million is being spent to carry out a study of 75 km of underground and elevated track.

Metro trains are popular options and carry a large volume of passengers at a time, but they are expensive to build and operate. This is why cities in developing countries are unable or reluctant to invest in a metro system.

Most of the metro systems around the world are highly subsidised by the government. If the operational costs weren’t subsidised, a majority of the urban population couldn’t afford to ride the metro.

There is an absolute need to improve the public transport system in Kathmandu Valley with higher capacity vehicles and cleaner technology. Existing public transport systems are inefficient, unreliable and unsafe. These are often more concerned with profits than providing services to the commuters.

More people are opting for private vehicles because of the poor public transport services. There has been a dramatic increase in the ownership of private vehicles, largely motorbikes, which has resulted in more traffic chaos, air pollution and road fatalities.

However, the development of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system has shown efficient and high quality service comparable to the metro system at a fraction of the cost. Many cities around the world, mostly in developing countries, are adopting BRT systems to meet the increasing transport demands of an urban population in a cost-effective way.

 

BRT: Think Train, Ride Bus

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is a bus-based transit system with exclusive right-of-way lanes. These dedicated lanes greatly increase the vehicle speed and swiftly move the passengers, thus making it competitive with car travel.

It combines the best features of the rail system’s high flexibility with cost advantages of the road transit system. Passengers are provided with comfortable stations, higher capacity buses, real time information system and customer-friendly services. The other features are a pre-board fare collection system, rapid boarding and alighting, and cleaner vehicle technology.

Unlike the metro system, BRT system is typically self-financing due to its lower operational cost.

The BRT system costs 10 to 100 times less than the metro system. The typical cost of BRT system is USD 0.5 to 15 million per km, whereas metro costs USD 50 to 320 million per km.

The example of Bangkok shows that a city can be built with 7 km of underground metro system in USD 1 billion, whereas in the same cost, a city can build 426 km of BRT system. That is, the cost for building a few km of metro train can build BRT system throughout the city.

Many cities around the world are now adopting BRT over metro. Over 120 cities are now operating BRT systems or have dedicated lanes for buses, and many other cities are under construction or planned largely in India and China. Guangzhou, China and Ahmedabad, India have some of the best BRT systems in the world and have been given Sustainable Transport awards for their contribution to sustainable urban mobility.

BRT system can efficiently transfer a large volume of passengers—up to 45,000 passengers per hour per direction, a similar capacity to the metro system. A well-planned BRT often serves more passengers than the rail system. The BRT system in Bogota, Columbia (TransMilenio) moves more passengers per kph than 90 percent of rail systems in the world at a similar speed.

In Medellin, another Colombian city, an elevated and surface rail system built at a cost of USD 2900 million moves 340,000 passengers per day and has operational losses. On the other hand, TransMilenio’s first phase cost USD 250 million, moves nearly 800,000 passengers daily and makes a profit.

Unlike BRT, metro system often serves a limited area of the city and is not flexible. For the cost of a metro system that moves 10 percent of the population at best, the high Bus Rapid Transit system can solve the city population’s transport needs.

Planning and execution time of BRT are relatively shorter. Thus, it helps cities to solve the immediate urban transport needs supporting the future transport demand. A BRT system can be planned and built in less than three years, whereas the planning and execution time for metro system is relatively high—three to four years for planning and over five years for construction.

Bus routes and shelters are more flexible, allowing easier expansion and adjustments, unlike the rail system. The maintenance and adjustment costs of the rail system are extremely expensive and time consuming. Also, the lower average bus lifetime gives flexibility of timely fleet modernisation to more environmentally friendly and high capacity of buses.

Urban rail system has also bad experiences around the world. The light rail transit (LRT) system in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, which was supposed to be a cost-effective transport system for the city, went bankrupt after few years of operation with over a billion USD of debt.  This left Malaysian taxpayers bearing the debt while private developers and suppliers made a huge profit.

The rail transit in Manila drains huge amounts of money from government coffers as operational subsidies. With the same amount that Manila spends for a year in operational subsidies, it could build an entire BRT network and make a profit.

It is high time that we revolutionised our urban transport system. Kathmandu has huge potential to introduce BRT system in major truck routes with cleaner vehicle technology—preferably a trolley bus system.

Many of the roads are now being widened to easily accommodate dedicated bus lanes and provide space for other road users.

Enrique Penolosa, the former mayor of Bogota, once said, “Underground trains: It is nicer to go on the surface, with sunlight, looking at a city. Those who say underground metros are wonderful have not had to take one every day to work.”

Considering the economic and geological condition of Kathmandu Valley, metro train is not a wise choice. Rather, we should seek an affordable and efficient transit system like BRT.

 

Khanal is associated with  Clean Energy Nepal and Nepalese Youth for Climate Action

Posted on: 2012-07-29 08:29

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Govt tears down encroachment on Teku-Kuleshwor-Balkhu road

Maitighar-Bhadrakali alternate route for public use soon

KATHMANDU, JUL 29 –

The ongoing Valley road expansion campaign reached Teku, Kuleshwor and Balkhu areas on Saturday. The government widened the road from the National Trading building to the Bishnumati bridge and from Ganeshthan towards Chakrapath and ending at the Tribhuwan University gate.

On the initiation of the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC), various roadside structures, including walls and concrete houses, built encroaching on roads were demolished. The expansion drive saw a deployment of 60 police personnel along the two-km road. Around 30 concrete houses were affected by the expansion.

Bulldozers were forced to take a detour along the banks of the Bagmati river to compensate for the traffic obstruction caused while expanding the road. Local residents protested, demanding compensation for the disturbance.

Bhai Kaji Tiwari, chief of the KVTDIC, said that despite protests, the expansion was carried out successfully. “Protests have always been part of the expansion. We take them as they come. People don’t want to leave their land, despite encroaching on it for several years. But it’s our duty to demolish encroaching infrastructure despite protests. We have also asked locals to take the limited compensation that the government is providing.” Officials from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Department of Roads, the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Range, the Department of Urban Development and Physical Planning and Works together with the Nepal Police were present during the expansion.

The government has intensified road expansion efforts in recent months, keeping in mind the increasing traffic congestion within the Kathmandu Valley. The KVTDIC has also began expansion work on the three-km road linking Galfutar with Budhanilkantha and is expected to be complete later this week.

Maitighar-Bhadrakali alternate route for public use soon

An alternate route between Maitighar and Bhadrakali will soon be opened to the public. The Nepal Army (NA) helped develop this lane citing security reasons on the original route that bisects the Army headquarters.

The alternate road will connect Maitighar and Bhadrakali through the buildings of Ministry of Health and Population, Agricultural Development Bank and Nepal Food Corporation towards the west from the offices of Rastriya Beema Sansthan to Nepal Telecom connecting the main road at Bhadrakali Temple.

Army Spokesman Ramindra Chhetri confirmed that the alternate road will be opened very soon for the public use. “The alternate track is in the process of gravelling. Once gravelled, we will hand it to the Department of Road who will be responsible for blacktopping. Hence, it will be opened very soon,” said Chhetri.

Last year PM Baburam Bhattarai had directed officials concerned to open the Maitighar-Bhadrakali section used by the Army for general use. This route had remained closed for pedestrians and public vehicles for the past one decade. Following the PM’s direction, the NA proposed the alternate track citing security threats. The opening of the two-way track, which is seven meters wide, will help reduce traffic congestions in Thapathali, Maitighar and Tripureshwor.

Posted on: 2012-07-29 08:20

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Sponsored deaths

The number of people killed and disabled in road accidents is likely higher than the number of casualties of the decade-long conflict.

Jagannath Lamichhane

JUL 27 –

There are still many issues that need to be brought into national discourse with regard to disability rights. Road accident is one of them. The frequency of highway mishaps has risen tremendously. The number of people killed and disabled in road accidents in the last decade is likely to be higher than in the decade-long conflict. However, taking advantage of political instability, the concerned authorities, that is, the Department of Roads, traffic police, transport companies, social welfare and a number of international agencies, have been escaping from their responsibility. Civil society must speak up so that the culprits who have been sponsoring death and disability through road accidents are brought to book. 

A few weeks ago, a gentleman lost his life while riding a motorbike on the Ring Road. It was early evening. The rider lost control of the bike because of the bad road and was hit by a public bus. Later, the police informed the media that the cause of the accident was careless driving. Speaking on television news, the same police officer warned everyone to drive carefully otherwise the result could be tragic. Definitely, careless driving is one of the causes of road accidents, death and disability in Nepal. However, there are other issues that require serious attention.

The poor quality of the roads, old and unmaintained motor vehicles, immature and undisciplined drivers (both who drive public vehicles and those who drive private vehicles including motorcycles), non-functioning driving laws, weak police force to monitor transport and road safety, rejection of scientific knowledge by the authorities to manage road accidents, traffic-related stress and road rage are some top causes that have been increasing road accidents in Nepal. However, no investigation is generally done after an accident nor is any prevention method is applied. What is done is that the drivers are blamed and the case is dismissed.

We cannot eliminate accidents, but they can be radically reduced. Prevention and reduction of road accidents is not expensive like treating epidemic diseases. It requires responsible and empathetic individuals in places of authority who treat the loss of others as their own and work hard to enforce the laws. A system based on science and practice that helps to prevent road accidents are other requirements.   

According to the Nepal Police, Traffic Directorate, the number of road accidents jumped from 3,823 in 2001-02 to 11,747 in 2009-10. In recent times, almost 2,000 people are killed and more than 5,000 are severely injured and disabled annually in road accidents. The toll of accident related trauma that relatives and individuals have to suffer is not counted. Still, police figures do not give the real picture of road accidents because a large number of them are not reported.

Further, the World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention 2004 says that every day around the world, more than 3,000 people die from road traffic injury. Low- and middle-income countries account for 85 percent of the deaths and 90 percent of the lost disability adjusted life years (DALYs) due to auto mishaps annually. Meanwhile, global projections show that road traffic deaths will decline by about 30 percent in high-income countries but increase substantially in low-income countries between 2000 and 2020. Without appropriate action, by 2020, road traffic injuries are predicted to be the third leading contributor to the global burden of diseases, injury and disability. It is projected that in 2020, ischemic heart disease first, unipolar major depression second and road traffic injuries will be the third leading causes of global burden of diseases.

The social, emotional and economic costs of auto accidents are always high. Everyone killed, injured or disabled by a road crash has a network of family and friends who are also deeply affected from the loss. We can imagine that, globally, millions of people are coping with the death or disability of family members from road accidents. The World Report states that it would be impossible to attach a value to each case of human sacrifice and suffering, add up the values and produce a figure that captures the global social cost of road crashes and injuries.

It’s true it is not easy to measure the cost of human suffering. However, the global economic cost of road accidents is estimated to be US$ 518 billion per year. Low- and middle-income countries account for US$ 65 billion. Ironically, in the case of poor countries, they lose more in the economic cost of road accidents than they receive in development assistance. Nepal would probably be among the top five countries in high incidences of road accidents in the global rankings.

Despite a series of traumatic road accidents, the continued negligence of the concerned authorities and the government means Nepal is a country where road accident deaths are officially sponsored deaths. If not, by paying attention to small things like the quality of the roads, enforcement of the rules, speed control, public education and awareness campaigns especially targeted at drivers, two-thirds of the deaths and injuries can be prevented in one month. It’s largely up to the Nepal government and the concerned authorities whether they want to continue to sponsor road accidents or stop them. Now is the time for civil society to wake up to prevent road accidents, deaths and disabilities.

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Kathmandu roads a nuisance in rainy season

ELISHA SHRESTHA

KATHMANDU, July 27: Rain can be fun but not in the streets of Kathmandu dotted with unsuspecting potholes everywhere.

“Walking in the streets of Kathmandu during the rainy season can rather be an ordeal,” said Ashmita Rijal, a student of Kathmandu University. The demolition drive launched by the government has made things worse.

“Every morning I walk to office I dread vehicles getting me splashed with dirty water collected in the potholes,” said Rijal. She says she despises walking the treacherous pavements.

However, driving in Kathmandu is not pleasant, either. “Last Friday, I nearly had a fatal accident at Babarmahal because of the potholes,” shares Ram Hari Sharma, a local.

Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Kedar Bahadur Adhikari passes the buck on the Department of Roads. “Maintenance of roads does not fall in our jurisdiction. It is the DoR that is responsible for the maintenance of roads,” says Adhikari.

But Senior Divisional Engineer at DOR Gopal Bahadur Khadka argues KMC has to look after the maintenance of inner city roads.

“The Department of Roads is responsible for maintaining major roads like Ring road, Durbar Marga, Lazimpat-Maharajgunj stretch and Ram Shah Path,” Khadka said. He says there is no permanent solution to potholes in the capital. “We don´t have any option other than filling the potholes,” says Khadka.

The major roads of Kathmandu city were last repaired in 2007, according to DoR. Apart from carrying out minor repairs, the roads have not undergone significant maintenance for the last five year.

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