The Political Economy of Vulnerability to Air Pollution in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Air pollution contributes to an estimated 3-7 million deaths per year globally, and particulate matter (PM) makes the greatest contribution to this international health burden (Lelieveld et al., 2015). While the effects of air pollution on human health are well documented (elevated risk of lung cancer, heart disease and other cardiorespiratory conditions), there is growing evidence that certain socio-economic groups (Avis et al 2018), and occupations (e.g. public transport workers) face disproportionate exposure (Brown et al 2022; Singh et al 2021).

Vulnerability to air pollution can be viewed through the three lenses of exposure, susceptibility and adaptive capacity. Exposure is a function of time spent in individual microenvironments and the levels of air pollution within the microenvironment. It is a function of where you live, work/study, socialize and you how you travel between such activities. Adaptative capacity is the ability to adjust to potential harm, and often is a function of wealth, with the wealthy able to engineer away exposure, for example through air conditioning within buildings (Day 2007).
In the context of intensifying inequalities in low- and middle-income countries, and increasingly spatially diverse livelihood coping strategies, there is a growing need for social science led studies that explore in detail the socio-political contexts in which people live and operate, in interaction with particulate matter exposure monitoring, especially amongst marginalised groups. Such studies will offer a comprehensive political economy of air pollution vulnerability, while also understanding the geography of exposure and how these co-create emerging social and spatial inequalities.

This study pursues this goal with regards to Nepal's Kathmandu valley.

This study aims to understand the political economy and spatial geography of air pollution exposure amongst two low-income communities using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data and analysis of data from low-cost portable particulate matter (PM) sensors, through the following questions:
1. How are livelihoods stratified according to class, caste/ethnicity and gender, and how does this impact daily spatial mobility in terms of the location of one's residence, length of commute, and time spent in areas recognised as pollution hotspots?
2. How do these stratified livelihood strategies and mobility patterns affect daily exposure to particulate matter both outdoors, in one's place of work and inside the home?
3. What are feasible and effective interventions in terms of not only city-wide mitigation, but in terms of tailored responses to reduce exposure amongst the most vulnerable groups?