Dinakar Khanal
Senior Divisional Engineer
Water and Energy Commission Secretariat
Nepal
September 20171

1. Industrial Wastewater Regulations
Basis For Regulation
Environmental Protection Act 1997
Environmental Protection Rules 1997
 Provision for IEE, EIA and EMP Industrial Wastewater Quality Standards
 As published in the Government Gazette2

1. Industrial Wastewater Regulations
Generic Standards
Part I : Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents to be
Discharged into Inland Surface Waters (2058/01/17) 30‐04‐
2001
Part II :Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents to be
Discharged into Public Sewers (2060/03/09)23‐06‐2003
Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
For Specific Industries (2058/01/17 and 2060/03/09) 30‐04‐
2001 and 23‐06‐2003

3

2. Generic Standards
Part I Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents to be
Discharged into Inland Surface Waters (30/04/2001)

4

2. Generic Standards
Part I Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents to be
Discharged into Inland Surface Waters52. Generic Standards
Part II : Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents to be
Discharged into Public Sewers

62. Generic Standards
Part II : Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents to beDischarged into Public Sewers

73. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Tanning Industry

8

3. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Wool Processing Industries93. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Fermentation Industries103. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Vegetable Ghee and Oil Industries113. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Paper and Pulp Industries123. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Dairy Industry

13

3. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Sugar Industry

14

3. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Cotton Textile Industry

153. Specific Industrial Effluent Standards
Tolerance Limits for Industrial Effluents Discharged into
Inland Surface Waters
Soap Industries

164. Sampling and Analyzing Methods
Sampling17

4. Sampling and Analyzing Methods
Analyzing18

4. Sampling and Analysing Methods
Analyzing19

5. Monitoring Methods
Official Monitoring
Monitoring by the Public Entity
Ministry of Population and Environment Policy, Act, Rules, Standards, Procedure, Guidelines,Enforcement
Department of Environment Sampling Lab Test In‐house Accredited Labs
 Reporting with specifying the other sampling, testing or lab
testing methods (than prescribed)
 Reporting20

5. Monitoring Methods
Self Monitoring
Monitoring by the Industries Themselves
 Not Authorized Monitoring Considered as a Reference21

5. Monitoring Methods
 Regular or Periodic Monitoring Complain Based monitoring22

6. Challenge in Monitoring Human Resources and their Capacity
 Laboratories are in the Developing Phase Department Located in the Capital No Decentralized Offices
 Industries are Spread over the whole Country23

7. Situation of Compliance Not really known for majority of the industries
 Very few monitoring Small Scale Industries do not Want to Invest for theExpensive Treatment Plants

247. Situation of ComplianceSome Studies
Fermentation Industries (4 Industries) (Source MoPE,2017)

Particular

pHTSS mg/L

BOD5, mg/L

Fermentation 1

6.5

4030

Fermentation 2

7.1

420

6700

Fermentation 35.68909350

Fermentation 4

6.0765960

Nepal Standards

5.5‐9100

60

25

7. Situation of ComplianceSome Studies
Leather Tanning Industries (Source MoPE,2017)
COD and BOD Values in mg/l
2500

2102
2000

1488

1500
1231
1120
1038
1000
811

723
637
474

500

390
250

250100250250100100

250
1001000
Tannery 1

Tannery 2
COD

Tannery 3Standard, COD

BOD

After Treatment

Tannery 4Standard, BOD

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7. Situation of Compliancemg/l(Source MoPE,2017)
Some Studies, Leather Tanning Industries
Industry

Locati
onpH

TDS

TSS

BOD5COD

Cl,

Cr +6

Sunsari 7.8

2383

2050

1120

2102

4.9

2

Sunsari 7.4

235

670

390

811

3

Bara

4.5

925

1246

637

Bara

5.5

645

322

Parsa

6.1

913

2100

Tannery ‐1

AfterTreatment

4

Tota Sulphi

Nal Crde0.9

1.7

252

1512

137

0.7

35.6

249

1231

4.9

1274.1304

1986

474

1038

3739

11487

1321

723

1488 1779

51

198

2.4

1400

100

100

250

0.1

2.0

2.0

60

6.0Standards

‐600

9.027

7. Situation of ComplianceSome Studies, Leather Tanning Industries (Source MoPE,2017)
Chromium In Tanneries In mg/L
Cr+6

Standard, Cr+6

T. Cr

Standard, T.Cr

250

198

200

150

100
74.1
51
50

39

120.9

0.1

1.7

2

0.7

0.1

3

20.1

2

70.1

20.1

20
Tannery 1

Tannery 2

Tannery 3

After Treatment

Tannery 428

8. Problematic Industries
Mostly the Industries With the Industry Specific Standard Tanning/Lather (BOD, COD,Chemical)
 Dying (Chemical)
 Fermentation (beer, alcohol) (volume of waste water withhigh BOD)
 Non‐alcoholic beverage (BOD)29

9. Impact on Environment Specific Impact Study has not been done so far

Generic Impacts
 Pollution of Inland Surface Water
 Water quality for agriculture Dead Rivers (Without Aquatic Life) (e.g. Bagmati River,Kathmandu Valley : Combined Impact of both household
waste water or public sewerage and the industrial wastes)30

10. Reason for Non‐ Compliance Mostly Industries are very old than the act, rule andstandards
 Countries priorities in the industrial development
 Industrial contribution to national economy (GDP) Country’s situation of unemployment
 Low priority on environment31

10. Reason for Non‐ Compliance No treatment Plants
 Not effective operation of the treatment plant Very poor monitoring Department of Environment is very young Decision to Establish in 27 July 2012
 5 March 2013, Department was formally established andoperated

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11. Current Mitigation Measures for Non‐Compliance Giving Warnings with specified period to correct according

to standard Penalty
 Action (Sometimes up to close the industries if the waste
water quality is very severe and harms significantly)

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12. Problems
Weak Rules, Regulation, Monitoring, and Enforcement
Monetary penalty for non compliance is very low Maximum NRs 50000/Around US $ 500 for non complianceof standard
 Maximum NRs 100000/Around US $ 1000 for noncompliance of EMP

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13. Needs for Addressing Challenges
 Strong Rules, Regulation, Monitoring, and Enforcement
 Sufficient and Trained Human Resources Organizational Network
 Sufficient, Equipped and Modern Lab
 Real time monitoring technology
 Modern technology with sensor, radio or satellite network35

15. References
Environmental Protection Act of Nepal 1997
Environmental Protection Rule of Nepal, 1997
Nepal Gazette, 30‐04‐2001 and 23‐06‐2003
Review and Amendment of Waste Water Standards ofFermentation, Vegetable Ghee/Oil, Soap, Leather and Sugar
Industries, MoPE, 201736