The government of Nepal introduced emission control laws to put an end to smoke belching vehicles in the capital city in 1997. Two years later, no one can claim that Kathmandu's air has become any cleaner. Clearly the measures taken to control air pollution have proved not only inadequate in terms of the pollution level in the valley, but also sadly ineffective. The presence of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere far exceeds the limit set by World Health Organisation (WHO). (editorial)