Status and future pathways of resin tapping in Nepal: Appeal for special attention

Resin tapping was pioneered five decades ago since the Laxmi Tapping industry started tapping in western Nepal in 1973. Resin tapping is acknowledged as a cost-effective, viable, and adjuvant source of income for rural people with the potentiality for payment for ecosystem services (PES) outside the resin tapping period. This paper explores the SWOT analysis of resin tapping and future pathways to improve this enterprise in Nepal. The systematic and comprehensive literature search was conducted in Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Scopus; and PRISMA flowchart summarizes the search strategy of the literature survey. SWOT analysis concludes that resin tapping has more strengths and opportunities, but this enterprise is currently under threat due to the shutting down of many resin enterprises with royalty hikes and no incentive. Poor tapping techniques lead to the depletion of pine resources in the long term, so the weakness of the rill method should be counteracted by the modern, cost-effective, more efficient borehole method practiced in many developed countries for resin production. Implementation of the proper policy framework, provision of incentives for enterprise, and sufficient research to create a knowledge base about resin tapping is an urgent need to minimize threats and pedal this enterprise in the right direction. We insist policymakers and stakeholders adopt the integrated forest-based enterprise approach for enabling environment in resin tapping and recommend nine promising value chain upgrading strategies as pragmatic endorsements to execute this enterprise in the long run.

A baseline study on diversity of birds in Sani Bheri River Valley, Nepal

Rivers and lakes are important habitats for both resident and migratory wetland-dependent birds. This paper presents the study of birds’ seasonal diversity in Sani Bheri River Valley, outside the protected areas of Nepal. The study was carried out from 8-17 March 2019 (Spring) and 12-21 October (Autumn) 2019 covering a 52 km river stretch from Naighat (upstream area where Pelma River and Uttarganga River mix and flow as Sani Bheri river) to Remnaghat (downstream towards the confluence with Thuli Bheri) using the Mackinnon Listing method. The present study recorded 851 occurrences belonging to 11 Orders, 33 Families, and 71 bird species. Order Passeriformes (52 species) and family Muscicapidae (13 species) were dominant. Plumbeous Water-redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus) had the highest relative abundance (7.64%). Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H’= 3.61) and Evenness index (e= 0.85) indicate the diverse assemblage of avian fauna in the study area. This study showed that Sani Bheri River Valley provides the habitat for one globally threatened, four nationally threatened, and eight species listed in Appendix-II of CITES. The results provide the baseline information on avian species, which can provide a good database and can be incorporated in conservation implications.

Macroinvertebrate assemblages in mountain tributaries of glacial-fed and rain-fed rivers in eastern Nepal

While river macroinvertebrates are the most widely used form of bioindicators, their baseline information, although crucial, is scarce in Nepal. The main objective of this study was to assess the macroinvertebrate assemblages in mountain tributaries of the glacial-fed Tamor and rain-fed Kamala rivers. A total of eight sites were sampled during March 2015 (Spring), November 2015 (Autumn), January 2016 (Winter), and May 2016 (Summer). Altogether, 49 Families of macroinvertebrates belonging to 15 Orders were identified with 39 Families and 12 Orders in Tamor’s tributaries, and 33 Families and 10 Orders in Kamala’s tributaries. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS) revealed different assemblages between the two river systems. The most dominant Order in the Tamor was Ephemeroptera and it was Trichoptera in the Kamala. EPT (Ephemeroptera Plecoptera Trichoptera) assemblages were the most abundant in all four seasons for both the river systems and higher % EPT in Tamor’s tributaries indicate better water quality than in the Kamala tributaries. Typical cold water adapted Families such as Rhyacophilidae and Stenopsychidae were observed in Tamor’s tributaries whereas in Kamala’s tributaries, warm water adapted Families like Naididae and Thiaridae were found, reflecting a difference in the abiotic variables such as temperature, dissolved oxygen attributed to each of the catchments. This baseline data can serve as the foundation for further bioassessment including those of climate change impacts on aquatic biodiversity.

High altitudinal vegetation dynamics including treeline ecotone in Langtang National Park, Nepal

Identification of high altitudinal vegetation dynamics using remote sensing is important because of the complex topography and environment in the Himalayas. Langtang National Park is the first Himalayan park in Nepal representing the best area to study vegetation change in the central Himalaya region because of the high altitudinal gradient and relatively less disturbed region. This study aimed at mapping vegetation in Langtang National Park and its treeline ecotone using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Two treeline sites with an altitude of 3927 and 3802 meters above sea level (masl) were selected, and species density was measured during the field survey. The linear slope for each pixel and the Mann Kendall test to measure significant trends were used. The results showed that NDVI has significantly increased at the rate of 0.002yr-1 in Langtang National Park and 0.003yr-1 in treeline ecotone during 2000-2017. The average 68.73% equivalents to 1463 km2 of Langtang National Park are covered by vegetation. At the same time, 16.45% equivalents to 350.43 km2 are greening, and 0.25%, i.e., 5.43 km2 are found browning. In treeline ecotone, the vegetation is mostly occupied by grasses, shrublands and small trees where the NDVI was found from 0.1 to 0.5. The relative changes of NDVI in barren lands are negative and vegetative lands above 0.5 NDVI are positive between 2000 and 2017. The dominant treeline vegetation were Abies spectabilis, Rhododendron campanulatum, Betula utilis and Sorbus microphyla, with the vegetation density of 839.28 and 775 individuals per hectare in sites A and B, respectively. The higher average NDVI values, significantly increased NDVI, and higher density of vegetation in both A and B sites indicate that the vegetation in treeline ecotone is obtaining a good environment in the Himalayas of Nepal.

Generation, characterization, and environmental implications of solid waste and its management in the Everest region

Managing solid waste is becoming a rather challenging task in remote areas, including the Mt. Everest region in Nepal, due to its cold climate, complex topography, and extreme environmental factors. Using published and unpublished literature and personal communications to key informants, this paper analyzes the situation of solid waste management in the Everest region as it relates to increasing tourism and possible environmental implications in the region. The study revealed that combined efforts from people of all levels associated with the mountain region would create a circular waste management system. The paper also reports the existing practices and planned activities for the essential process such as source segregation of waste, collection, use of material recovery facility, and recycling which could lead to sustainable solid waste management in the Everest region and beyond with similar context.

Application of activated effective microorganism, mudball and biosand filter for the treatment of dye wastewater

A study was carried out to evaluate the application of Activated Effective Microorganisms (AEM) solution and EM Mudballs (mixture of soil, rice bran, and EM) to wastewater generated from wool and cotton dyeing unit at Kumbeshwar Technical School (Lalitpur, Bagmati Province, Nepal). Furthermore, the AEM treated wastewater was treated through a Biosand filter as a final treatment and polishing step before discharge in a nearby sewerage system. The wastewater samples collected for 27 days were analyzed for the wastewater quality parameters such as pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Solids (TS), and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) using the standard methods. The average values of pH, conductivity, COD, and TS after the EM combined with Biosand (final) treatment were observed to be 7.49±1.15, 1.39±0.25 mS/cm, 1,669.4 ±858.14 mg/L, and 264±25.29 mg/L, respectively. TS and COD removal were observed to be 43.97±22.3% and 15.26±10.06%, respectively. The results show that the dye wastewater is difficult to remove by a simple biological process like the addition of EM. Combined EM and biosand filters can be an inexpensive way of treating industrial effluents. However, the existing treatment system needs to be optimized by the integration with the proper EM: water: molasses ratio, optimal feeding time and design, hydraulic retention time, solids retention time, organic loading rates in EM reactor, and COD/BOD ratio in wastewater among other important components to meet the national effluent discharge requirements.

Water quality and health risk assessment of trace elements contamination in Ghodaghodi Lake, Sudurpaschim Province, Nepal

The contamination of trace elements (TEs) in freshwater sources has become an alarming issue globally. This study evaluates the contamination level of TEs, their spatial distributions, and the health risks in the Ghodaghodi Lake complex, Nepal. Altogether, ten water samples were collected, and As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sc, Sr, Ti, Tl, V, Y, and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results revealed that Sr, Zn, Cu, As, Sc, and Rb were dominated TEs, contributing to the contamination. The principal component analysis and correlation matrices demonstrated both the geogenic and anthropic origin of the TEs in the lake. The water quality index (WQI=10.08) and hazard indices <1 exhibited that the TEs pose a low risk to human health and, hence the water of the lake was suitable for drinking purposes. However, exposure risk assessment results suggested that children are relatively more vulnerable compared to adults. The outcome of this study will provide new insights to local people and the concerned authorities for the sustainable management of Ramsar listed Ghodaghodi Lake complex.

Habitat preference of Himalayan musk deer (Moschus leucogaster Hodgson, 1839) at Lapchi of Bigu Rural Municipality, Gaurishankar Conservation Area

The Himalayan musk deer (Moschus leucogaster) is an endangered species listed in the IUCN Red List and Appendix I of CITES. It is widely but discontinuously distributed in Nepal. A Pellet sign survey was carried in April 2019 in Lapchi valley of Gaurishankar Conservation Area (GCA) in Nepal to assess the habitat preference of Himalayan musk deer. A total of 11 transects of 16348 m length and 10 m wide was surveyed. Seven Parameters: Elevation, Aspect, ground cover, distance from the water source, crown cover, rock exposure, and distance from settlement/cow sheds were recorded from the location where pellet (toilet) of musk deer were recorded to extrapolate the probable habitat map. We recorded a total of 157 musk deer pellet groups in the study area14.27 ± 2.91. The study concluded that the 38.4% (26.5 km2) area of Lapchi valley is the probable habitat of musk deer. The c2 – test suggested that the distribution of musk deer is significantly associated with elevation and aspect of the location. Musk deer mostly preferred habitat between 3600-4000 m elevations, with North-West aspect, ground cover less than 25%, and canopy cover between 25%-50%. Musk deer signs were recorded in areas with rock exposure ranging from as low as less than 25%. Distance from the water source and human settlement affect the distribution of musk deer. The indirect signs were higher near water sources and far from human settlement.

Solid waste management practices and challenges in seven cities of Nepal before and during lockdown against COVID-19 pandemic

The nationwide lockdown imposed to control the spread of novel coronavirus induced dramatic alterations in different sectors of the Nepalese governance, including Solid Waste Management (SWM) practices. The study identifies SW collection gaps in seven major cities of Nepal and highlights the municipal and public households on SW management practices before and during the lockdown to emphasize the linkage between COVID-19 and SWM. It includes information on solid waste status, collection frequency and coverage, workers' safety practices, types of vehicles operated for collection and alternative methods adopted by households to manage SW during the lockdown. For this, 1329 households survey and key informant interviews were conducted in seven cities of Nepal during the lockdown. It was found that although the coverage of the collection service was similar during the pandemic in surveyed households, there was a drastic decrease in the collection frequency leading to a collection gap of around 570 tons/day. More than 50% of the surveyed households adopted no proper alternative measures as they claimed that they stored solid waste with proper management so that municipal authorities can take it. While other 50% adopted practices such as open burning, throwing in streets or composting. The study reveals poor occupational health and safety practices among solid waste workers due to the unavailability of safety gear and equipment despite being aware of the modes of transmission of the virus. The pandemic exacerbated the challenges of smooth SWM as it is an essential and needy service. This study highlights the need for a timely strategic management framework to be developed by the government to continue the smooth SWM practices during the lockdown.

Impacts of brick kiln emission on agricultural soil around brick kiln areas

The study attempted to assess the impacts of the brick kilns emissions on the farm soil in and around the kiln areas. A total of 72 representative farm soil samples were collected from 12 selected brick kiln clusters in Rajshahi and Gazipur Districts of Bangladesh, covering two years (September 2015 to August 2017). The collected samples were analyzed using standard methods. The pH and organic matter content in the farm soil samples were found to be very low. The farm soil parameters such as pH, organic matter, and soil texture were found in critical conditions. Among all of the heavy metals, only Cr exceeded the permissible standard of some soil samples. The concentration of Cr ion varied from 9.50 to 52.77 and 16.54 to 70.13 ppm in Rajshahi and Gazipur Districts, respectively indicated the chance of metal contamination in plants. The study results showed that the values of contamination factor (Cif) and ecological risk factor (Eir) in the selected farm soil of Rajshahi and Gazipur Districts existed in the order of Cd > As > Cr > Pb > Zn and Cd > As > Pb > Cr > Zn, respectively. The study results also showed that the pollution load index and risk index values were lower than 1 and 150, respectively, at all sampling locations indicating lower pollution and risk from heavy metals in the areas. The study observed that continuous brick production over the periods degraded topsoil fertility and reduced agricultural productivity.