--- title: "Indoor air pollution in Nepal and counter measures" subject: "Technology, Environment and Society" chapter: 5 key: "semester_7/technology_environment_and_society:indoor-air-pollution-nepal" source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/indoor-air-pollution-nepal site: BCT Engineering --- # Indoor air pollution in Nepal and counter measures Technology, Environment and Society · Chapter 5: Water and Air Pollution - Asked in: 2082 Baisakh, 8 marks - Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14 - Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/indoor-air-pollution-nepal - Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/technology_environment_and_society/chapter-5 ## Question Define indoor air pollution. Explain the severity indoor air pollution in Nepal with suggested counter measures. ## Short answer Indoor air pollution is harmful pollutants inside buildings, mainly from burning biomass like firewood in traditional stoves. In Nepal, about half of households use solid fuels, exposing women and children to high PM2.5, causing pneumonia, COPD, and low birth weight. Counter measures: switch to clean fuels like electric, LPG, or biogas, improved cookstoves with chimneys, and better ventilation with subsidies. ## Answer **Indoor air pollution** (household air pollution) is the presence of harmful pollutants in the air inside homes, schools and workplaces. In Nepal its main cause is the burning of **solid fuels** – firewood, dung cakes, crop residue – and kerosene in open fires or traditional stoves in poorly ventilated kitchens. Main pollutants: fine particles (PM2.5), carbon monoxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, and NO₂. #### Severity in Nepal 1. **High dependence on biomass** – about half of all households still use firewood as the main cooking fuel (Census 2021), almost all of them in rural areas; LPG use is mostly urban. 2. **Poor kitchen design** – traditional mud stoves or open "chulo" inside the house, with no chimney and small windows. Indoor PM2.5 levels during cooking can be tens of times higher than the WHO guideline. 3. **Exposure of women and children** – women cook for 3–5 hours a day; infants are carried on the back near the fire. In cold hilly and mountain areas the fire is also used for heating, so exposure lasts most of the day. 4. **Health burden** - Acute respiratory infections (pneumonia) in children under five – a leading cause of child death. - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in women, often in non-smokers. - Lung cancer, asthma, tuberculosis, cataract and eye irritation, low birth weight. - WHO estimates household air pollution causes millions of deaths a year worldwide; in Nepal it is one of the top risk factors for disease and death. 5. **Other indoor sources** – tobacco smoke, incense, kerosene lamps, mosquito coils, paints and dampness/mould. 6. **Social and economic burden** – time lost collecting firewood, medical cost, deforestation pressure. #### Suggested counter measures 1. **Cleaner fuels** – shift to LPG, biogas and especially **electric cooking (induction)**, now promoted by the government as hydropower supply grows. 2. **Improved cook stoves (ICS)** – stoves with chimneys and better combustion, promoted by AEPC (Alternative Energy Promotion Centre). 3. **Biogas plants** for households with cattle. 4. **Better ventilation** – windows, chimneys, smoke hoods; separate kitchen from living and sleeping rooms. 5. **Dry fuel** – use dry wood, keep children away from the fire. 6. **Solar lamps** in place of kerosene lamps. 7. **Awareness and health education** through FCHVs, schools and media about the danger of smoke. 8. **Subsidy and policy** – subsidies for ICS, biogas and induction cookers; target of "clean cooking for all". 9. **No smoking indoors.** ## Check yourself The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why. 1. What is the main cause of indoor air pollution in Nepal? A. Burning solid fuels such as firewood, dung and crop residue in poorly ventilated kitchens B. Industrial chimneys near houses C. Vehicle exhaust entering homes D. Use of electric induction cookers Answer: A. Solid fuels burnt in open fires or traditional stoves without chimneys in poorly ventilated kitchens are the main source. (Key point: Main cause of indoor air pollution) 2. Why are women and children the most exposed to indoor air pollution? A. They use more LPG than men B. They live mostly in cities with traffic C. They are more sensitive to noise D. Women cook for 3-5 hours a day and infants are carried near the fire; in cold areas the fire also heats the home Answer: D. Long cooking hours, infants carried on the back near the fire and heating fires give women and children prolonged exposure. (Key point: Why exposure is severe) 3. Which pairing of illness and affected group matches the answer? A. Pneumonia in adult men and COPD only in smokers B. Pneumonia in children under five and COPD in women, often non-smokers C. Cataract only in children and asthma only in the elderly D. Skin lesions in women and arsenicosis in children Answer: B. Acute respiratory infection is a leading child killer under five, and COPD occurs in women even without smoking. (Key point: Health burden) 4. Which set of measures is among those suggested to reduce indoor air pollution? A. Closing windows and burning wet wood B. More kerosene lamps and open chulo fires C. Improved cook stoves with chimneys, biogas, electric cooking and better ventilation D. Moving the kitchen into the sleeping room Answer: C. Cleaner fuels, improved stoves with chimneys, biogas, ventilation and separate kitchens reduce smoke exposure. (Key point: Counter measures) ## Related in Technology, Environment and Society - [Severity of indoor air pollution in Nepal](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aindoor-air-pollution-severity) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 5 - [Indoor air pollution and Kathmandu air problems](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aindoor-air-kathmandu-health) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 5 - [Water and air pollution in Nepal](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Awater-air-pollution-nepal) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 5 - [Inorganic water pollution in Nepal](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Ainorganic-water-pollution-nepal) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 5 ## Related in other subjects - [Indoor air pollutants and their sources](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fenvironment_and_pollution_control%3Aindoor-air-pollutants-sources) — Environment and Pollution Control, chapter 3 - [Control strategies for indoor air quality](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fenvironment_and_pollution_control%3Aindoor-air-control-strategies) — Environment and Pollution Control, chapter 3