Nepal’s efforts to reduce manufacturing-related water pollution have faltered because they rely on traditional methods and regulation. We employed an environmentally extended input–output model to establish direct and indirect relations between water pollution and production in 19 Nepalese manufacturing sectors. We identify which are chief emitters of biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. We categorize three sectors as pollution abatement industries (heavy polluters that portend relatively low clean-up costs) and three as pollution prevention industries (polluters responsible for accelerating pollution by inducing the release of pollutants from other linked sectors). We then draw upon statistical analysis to recommend appropriate pollution-reducing incentives or penalties for both categories. We find that incentives to meet discharge standards are effective for pollution abatement industries and that penalties (e.g., polluter pay) are effective in pollution prevention industries because they underpin Nepal’s economy. If these policies do not succeed as desired, emission control policies are warranted.

尼泊尔减少与制造业有关的水污染的努力失败了，因为它们依靠传统的方法和法规。我们采用了环境扩展的投入产出模型来建立19个尼泊尔制造业部门水污染与生产之间的直接和间接关系。我们确定哪些是生化需氧量和总悬浮固体的主要排放者。我们将三个行业归类为污染消除行业（重污染者，其清理成本相对较低），三个归类为污染预防行业（污染者通过诱导其他相关行业释放污染物来加速污染）。然后，我们利用统计分析为这两种类别推荐适当的减少污染的奖励措施或惩罚措施。我们发现，达到排放标准的激励措施对消除污染的行业有效，而惩罚措施（例如污染者工资）在预防污染的行业中很有效，因为它们支撑了尼泊尔的经济。如果这些政策未能如期成功，则必须执行排放控制政策。