About Us | Siddhartha Environmental Services

Firm Profile

Who we are

Siddhartha Environmental Services is an environmental and social consultancy based in Kathmandu. We prepare statutory environmental studies, supervise safeguards during construction, and advise on forests, watersheds and protected landscapes for public agencies, development partners and private developers.

Firm at a glance
Established	2008, Kathmandu
Key experts	Yub Raj Dhakal, Dr. Shravan Kumar Ghimire
Assignments on record	30+ statutory environmental studies & ecotourism projects across Nepal
Frameworks	Government of Nepal; World Bank, ADB, KfW, IFC

From baseline to built

Our teams run their own field baselines and stay engaged through construction, supervising camps, quarries and spoil disposal and following corrective actions to close-out. Our Team Leader spent seven years reviewing EIAs and EMPs inside a Government of Nepal project directorate.

Landscapes and visitors

Roads, rivers and power lines in Nepal run through the valleys and forests that draw trekkers and wildlife visitors. We plan for both, with field evidence from Langtang, Banke, the Annapurna Conservation Area and mountain road corridors.

Standards and disclosure

We work to the Environment Protection Act 2076 and Rules 2077, the Forest Act 2076 and the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029, applying World Bank, ADB, KfW and IFC standards on financed projects. Our register states who delivered each assignment and in what role.

Mission & Approach

Vision

A Nepal where growth in infrastructure, energy and tourism strengthens the mountains, rivers and forests it depends on.

Mission

To give decision-makers sound field evidence, and to see that what is approved is what gets built.

How we work

Evidence first. Our conclusions rest on our own field baselines, documented so that others can check them.
On site. We supervise what we recommend, and write plans to be implemented and audited.
Proportionate. The level of study and the cost of mitigation should match the real risk.
Whole landscapes. Slopes, rivers, forests, wildlife and visitors are assessed together.
Communities as partners. Consultation, GESI and grievance redress are built in from the start.
Clear attribution. We state who delivered each assignment and in what role.

Sustainable Development Goals

6Clean Water and Sanitation	Water supply IEE, catchment protection, resilient sanitation
7Affordable and Clean Energy	Hydropower, transmission, solar and biogas
8Decent Work and Economic Growth	Site safety; landscapes that sustain nature tourism (8.9)
9Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure	Highways, bridges and energy infrastructure
11Sustainable Cities and Communities	Municipal water, sanitation and resilience planning
13Climate Action	Climate monitoring, flood and precipitation analysis
15Life on Land	Forest clearance with CFUGs, habitat and protected areas

National frameworks

Environment Protection Act 2076 & Rules 2077	BES, IEE, EIA, public hearing, audit (the 2053 Act and 2054 Rules for earlier work)
Forest Act 2076	Forest land use, tree felling and compensatory planting
National Parks & Wildlife Conservation Act 2029	Work in parks, reserves and conservation areas
Buffer Zone Management Regulations 2052	Buffer zone user committees
Labour Act 2074	Occupational safety and health on site
National Adaptation Plan 2021–2050	Climate adaptation context

Organization

A named key expert leads every assignment from inception to final report and signs off deliverables. Discipline specialists are engaged to match each terms of reference.

Team Leader Yub Raj Dhakal

Associate Expert Dr. Shravan Kumar Ghimire

Discipline specialists, per assignment

Ecology & biodiversity · Social safeguards & GESI · Civil & geotechnical · Hydrology & water quality · Occupational health & safety · GIS & field survey

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a BES, an IEE and an EIA in Nepal?

Under the Environment Protection Act 2076 and Environment Protection Rules 2077, proposals are screened against schedules according to their type, scale and location. A Brief Environmental Study (BES) applies to smaller proposals with limited impacts, an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) to proposals of moderate scale, and a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to large or sensitive proposals. BES and IEE reports are approved by the concerned authority; an EIA goes through scoping, terms of reference and public hearing before approval by the Ministry of Forests and Environment. Confirming the correct level of study at screening avoids costly re-work later.

Which international environmental and social frameworks do you work with?

Our experts have delivered assignments under the World Bank Environmental and Social Standards, ADB safeguard requirements (including the Safeguard Policy Statement 2009), KfW Sustainability Guidelines and IFC Performance Standards. On co-financed projects we apply these alongside Nepal’s own approvals, so that one set of studies and management plans satisfies both.

How do you handle forest clearance and tree felling for roads and transmission lines?

We map the alignment in GIS, carry out GPS-based tree enumeration and forest area surveys, and consult the Division Forest Office and Community Forest User Groups along the route. The resulting record supports forest clearance under the Forest Act 2076 and gives forest user groups a transparent basis for compensation and replanting. On the Malekhu 132 kV line this process led to forest clearance approval by the Ministry of Forests and Environment.

Do you stay involved during construction?

Yes. Construction-phase supervision is a core service. We monitor compliance with the approved EMP or ESMP, inspect camps, quarries and borrow pits, carry out OHS and hazard (HIRA) audits, track measures against gender-based violence and trafficking in persons, operate grievance redress reporting, and prepare monitoring and audit reports. Recent examples include the World Bank-financed Butwal–Gorusinghe–Chandrauta road and the ADB-financed SASEC highway sections.

How do you assess tourism infrastructure in protected or sensitive landscapes?

For trails, lodges, access roads and viewpoints in national parks, conservation areas and buffer zones, we combine ecological sensitivity mapping (including habitat suitability modelling), slope hazard zonation, waste, water and energy planning, and consultation with local communities and buffer zone user committees. We coordinate with the relevant park or conservation-area authority under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 and the Buffer Zone Management Regulations 2052.

How do you engage local communities?

Through structured consultation and, where required, public hearing; through gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) measures, drawing on the GESI Operational Guidelines 2017 our Team Leader helped prepare for the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport; through grievance redress mechanisms that work in practice; and through direct engagement with Community Forest User Groups and buffer zone user committees.

Do you work outside Nepal?

Yes. Our experts have carried out assignments in India (KfW-financed climate resilience programme in Assam), Iraq (525 MW of utility-scale solar) and Mauritania (green hydrogen and decarbonised industry), applying KfW, World Bank and IFC frameworks.

Another question? Contact us.