Cities study on exposure and impact of air pollution in the HKH region

Funding Agency: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal
Duration:: 11 months
Project Lead: Dr. Vishal Singh
Field Site: Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Poor air quality is a major health and well-being concern in the towns and cities in the HKH region. With a rapidly growing urbanization, this is a challenge with consequences for large population-based in cities in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. There have been several studies on the impact of air pollution on the health of people. However, there is a lack of understanding as to why people continue to expose themselves to high air pollution levels, particularly working in vulnerable occupations such as drivers, street vendors, etc. Also, there is little comprehensive understanding with regards to the impact of exposure to bad air pollution at the household level. This project aims to study the exposure, impact of air pollution, and adaptation behaviour to counteract it in the growing cities of the HKH region by assessing the impact of air pollution on the vulnerable occupation groups in the form of taxi drivers, street vendors, and laborers. The study also plans to collect adequate quantitative data (evidence) to assess the status of adaptation to air pollution from a behavioural (social) response perspective. The goal is to unpack complex issues in relation to the exposure and impact of air pollution at the household level.