NATIONAL10 [RELIGION (Spotlight Weelky)]

Who's Responsible?

An opinion poll conducted by a private organization reveal interesting facts about the environment pollution

By A CORRESPONDENT

A resounding 70.8 % of the Nepalese hold nobody but themselves responsible for deterioration in the quality of the nation's physical environment.

An opinion poll survey conducted by the Media Services International (MSI) from January 20 through 30, 2000, in twelve districts of Nepal encompassing mountain, hill and terai sectors has found that if the majority blames the people themselves for decline in the quality of environment, 14.4 % thought the public could not be held responsible for this negative trend.

While 6.7 % of those surveyed said they could not be sure, 8.1 % did not respond to the query at all.

Asked if quality decline in physical environment had in any way resulted in disadvantages in personal terms, 57 % said 'yes', 28 % said 'no', 8.7 % had no idea whatsoever and 6.3 % did not answer the question.

Among those who said they had been disadvantaged, 51.1 % said they had felt the disadvantage in the area of health, 19.8 % in drinking water, 19.1 % in production and 10.1 % in some other areas.

Where has the problem of environment been more pronounced? 33.9 % of the respondents pointed to solid waste disposal, 27.5 % to deforestation, 21.8 % to air pollution and 16.8 % to water pollution.

Half of the 1109 interviewees in Rasuwa, Kaski, Surkhet, Morang, Banke, Kanchanpur, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhankuta, Kavre and Makwanpur said the people themselves could do something to improve the environment. Those who thought the government could improve the environment constituted 48.2 % of the respondents. Only a very small percentage (1.8 %) of those queried was of the view the foreigners (in their individual capacities) had a role in the business of improving the environment in Nepal.

But interestingly enough, a majority of the respondents (45.8%) believed that foreign money had a role in improving the environment as against 29.1 % who thought otherwise. Those giving no opinion accounted for 25.1 % of the respondents.

To the question: "Have you heard about the Ministry of Environment?", 52.2 % replied in the affirmative. Only slightly less (47.6 %) said they had not, with 0.2 % giving no answer.

But when asked about the loudly proclaimed Environment Protection Council (EPC) a whopping 82.7 % said they had not heard about it, with 16.8 % saying 'yes'. Only 0.2 % did not say anything.

On the important issue of whether or not they were satisfied with the works being done by the NGOs in the field of environment conservation, 40.8 % said they were not aware of the works being done by the NGOs. If 25.5 % said they were satisfied with the performance of the NGOs, 25.1 % said they were not satisfied. Nearly 9 % chose not to comment on the matter.

When confronted with the question if they thought the NGOs were truly committed to the cause of environment conservation or if the NGO activists were just working for their own parochial interest, 41.9 % said they did not know anything about it but 29.4 % believed the NGO workers were fulfilling their own personal interest. Quite a percentage of the respondents (19.8 %) however believed the NGOs were truly committed to conservation of environment in Nepal. Those giving no response accounted for 8.8 % of the those surveyed.

As regards the complex phenomenon of global warming, it was heartening to note that an impressive 64.6 % of the respondents said they were aware of the fact that global warming was taking place. Only 20.1 % said they did not know about this problem, while 15.1 % said they did not believe global warming was taking place. 'No comment' group figured only in terms of a meager 0.2 %.

This opinion poll, last but one in the current series, was conducted with the cooperation of London-based Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The final survey under this program will concern the problems and promises of Open Border with India.

Media Service International has been regularly conducting opinion poll on different matters of public interest.