Background: Work related musculoskeletal disorders are common complaint at workplace and is a leading cause of illness. A kitchen worker’s work consists of continuous long standing hours, awkward positions, lifting heavy loads and repetitive activities. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders is related to demographic factors, occupational, psychosocial factors and ergonomic risk factors at workplace. Canteen staffs are considered to be at higher risk of having musculoskeletal disorders. Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders among the canteen staffs of Kathmandu University and to find association between risk factor and musculoskeletal disorders among the canteen staffs. Methodology: We carried out a cross-sectional descriptive study interviewing 40 participants for filling the demographic data and the standardized Nordic questionnaires for assessing the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among the canteen staffs of Kathmandu University. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16. Results: We found that out of 40 participants, 60% reported having at least one work related musculoskeletal symptoms in the past 12 month. Back pain (35%) was most commonly reported disorder followed by neck (27.5%) and ankle pain (27.5%). Conclusion: Prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorder among the canteen staffs of Kathmandu University was found to be high. So it is essential to take necessary steps to minimize musculoskeletal disorder and develop preventive strategies.

Background:A natural disaster like earthquake is a sudden event that causes not only the loss of life but also mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. An earthquake of 7.8 magnitudes hit Nepal and injured more than 18,500 people in 2015. There was a critical need to develop rehabilitation protocols. Therefore, we aimed to structure community-based rehabilitation protocols for physically impaired earthquake victims and to investigate immediate effect of the intervention to address disability and reduce public health burden.Materials and Methods:Evidence-based rehabilitation protocols for various injuries were structured to address the victims’ impairments and activity limitations. The protocols were administered to 13 victims of one of the most affected community sites, for 60 min/day, 12 days in 2 weeks at their own doors. Local resources were used to make the protocols sustainable. An immediate effect of the protocols was evaluated within the group. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule, numerical pain rating scale, and time up and go (TUG) test were used to measure disability level, pain, and mobility status, respectively. Wilcoxon's signed rank test was used to analyze pre–post data.Results:All participants completed the rehabilitation without adverse effects. The treatment demonstrated significant reduction in disability level (P < 0.001, effect size = 0.63) and pain level (P = 0.007). However, change with TUG was not significant.Conclusion:The evidence-based, structured community rehabilitation protocols demonstrated benefits in improving the victim's quality of life. Follow-ups will be continued to explore sustainability and long-term effects of the interventions.

At present more than 2 million kl fossil fuels are imported by Nepal per year, which is increasing at the rate of 7% annually on an average since 2012. The transportation sector alone accounts for more than 63% of the total fossil consumption. The major demand of fuels for transportation sector is diesel used by heavy-duty vehicles with high payload. The diesel demand for the year 2050 is projected to rise by 18%. There is a need for alternative fuel to diesel, which is also called hard-to-decarbonize fuel. Green hydrogen produced by electrolysis can be possibly used to power heavy locomotives due to its impressive properties as a heavy-duty transportation fuel. Several countries have already identified hydrogen as the future fuel for decarbonizing the transportation sector. Hydropower resource can be converted to green hydrogen as an energy storage medium and electrifying transportation sector. This paper identifies the need for an alternative to diesel fuel in the transportation sector and attempts to introduce hydrogen as a decarbonizing fuel to electrify the heavy-duty transportation sector of Nepal. Attempts are made to investigate the economic and environmental benefits of hydrogen in Nepal for heavy duty transportation sector in comparison to conventional fuels.