Exploring the potential of urban nature-based solutions to address infectious disease: a case study in Bharatpur, Nepal

This SEI report examines the drivers of infectious diseases in Bharatpur, Nepal, finding that dengue (18.4% of households) and skin infections (11.5%) are significantly linked to proximity to garbage disposal sites and reliance on surface water. While nature-based solutions like green streets and rainwater harvesting are proposed to mitigate these risks by improving drainage and cooling, the report emphasizes that such solutions cannot substitute for essential municipal infrastructure, specifically piped water and reliable solid waste management.

• A household survey in Bharatpur, Nepal, revealed that dengue fever was the most prevalent infectious disease, affecting 18.4% of households over the past five years. Skin infections were the second most reported, affecting 11.5% of households.
• Proximity to garbage disposal sites is statistically associated with the incidence of both dengue and skin infections. For dengue, respondents living within 600 meters of a disposal site showed higher positive cases, likely due to water pockets in human-made containers providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
• Skin infections are strongly associated with a reliance on surface water as a primary household water source. This is particularly evident in Ward 29, where 68% of households rely on surface water due to a lack of piped water infrastructure.
• Nature-based solutions (NBS) such as green streets (combining trees and bioswales) and rainwater harvesting have the potential to reduce infectious disease hazards by filtering water, mitigating flooding, and reducing urban temperatures. Local actors expressed particular interest in these interventions, though they are viewed as stopgap measures.
• The report concludes that NBS cannot replace basic urban infrastructure and services. Effective public health outcomes require priority actions in strengthening municipal solid waste management (increasing collection frequency) and improving piped water supply to peri-urban areas to address health inequities.

APA

Pottinger-Glass, C., Ghimire, U., Dotel, S., Rai, A., Saluja, R., Tran, M., Green, J., & Barquet, K. (2025). Exploring the potential of urban nature-based solutions to address infectious disease: a case study in Bharatpur, Nepal. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/urban-nbs-infectious-disease-bharatpur-nepal-sei2025-011.pdf

Chicago

Pottinger-Glass, Chloe, Uttam Ghimire, Sabin Dotel, Anu Rai, Ridhi Saluja, Minh Tran, Jonathan Green, and Karina Barquet. Exploring the potential of urban nature-based solutions to address infectious disease: a case study in Bharatpur, Nepal. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2025. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/urban-nbs-infectious-disease-bharatpur-nepal-sei2025-011.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{pottingerglass2025exploring, author = {Pottinger-Glass, Chloe and Ghimire, Uttam and Dotel, Sabin and Rai, Anu and Saluja, Ridhi and Tran, Minh and Green, Jonathan and Barquet, Karina}, title = {{Exploring the potential of urban nature-based solutions to address infectious disease: a case study in Bharatpur, Nepal}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/urban-nbs-infectious-disease-bharatpur-nepal-sei2025-011.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }