Are Environmental Issues Considerable to Build Nijgadh International Airport?



With an aim to relive the pressure of Tribhuvan International Airport, the Nijgadh International Airport is purposed airport project on an area of 8000 hector in Nijgad, Nepal. According to the Environment and Social Impact Assessment (EIA) report has revealed that more than 2.4 million small and large trees will have been cut down to build modern international airport in Nijgadh, Bara. The cut down of this huge number of trees lead towards the numbers of Environmental issues.

The EIA report also shows the several environmental issues, which might observe after the construction of ongoing project. The part of jungle which is purposed to cut down the trees is the main corridor of wild animals mainly elephant. After deforestation of this jungle the main corridor of wild animals will blocked. This may lead towards the decrease in number of wild animals mainly elephant.

Another environmental issue is about the cutting down of trees. Is the Cutting down of 2.4million of tree necessary for the development? Why should always environment pay the huge cost of development? Development planned without looking after the consequences effect on the environment, directly or indirectly leads towards the loss of biodiversity, loss of habitat, unbalance ecosystem, polluted air, global warming and also towards the today’s problem of Global climate change. Will you take the responsibility to all the adverse effects that marginalized and poor people will face in the upcoming days?

Today, 40% demands of economy and 80% demands of low income peoples are fulfill from the sector of biodiversity. Importantly carbon storage capacity of Nepal is 180ton/hectors. including all forest, residential area as well as bare land of Nepal. On 1997 kyuto protocol adopt the concept of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). According to which, the industrialized countries who emits carbon, they should pay for environmental friendly countries with the percentage limit of below 5.2% till 2008-2012 comparatively the carbon emission of 1990 A.D. Currently the rate of per ton carbon storage capacity is 7-12 dollar in international market. Evaluating these data 8000hector*7-12doller=56000-96000$. The cute down the all forest of nijgadh directly leads towards the 56000-96000$ per year loss for Nepal.

Above mention adverse impacts are not considerable. Government of Nepal also announces to plant 25 siblings per cut down of tree to maintain the effect of purposed cut down trees. Does its objective implementation is possible? Who will responsible to conserve the plant siblings? What will be labor of plant as well as to grow them? Where to plant? When it will be start? There is no answer of all those questions.

For environment friendly development there must be alternate idea to construct this airport. It is also hear that, if the airport is sifted towards south part of current purposed area, the loss and damage on environment will be less. So, government should proceed the construction of airport only after the evaluation on necessity of third largest airport around the world in small country like Nepal having less population and after considering all environmental issues which are arise due to the purpose of cut down of 2.45 million trees on National prides project Nijgadh International Airport.

Dhurba Pokhrel

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