Kathmandu Metropolitan City launches major river cleaning initiative

KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has initiated the cleaning of its rivers.

A team of 55 employees from the Environment Department has already cleaned the Rudramati (Dhobi Khola), Kapan’s Khahare, and the Bhachakhusi flowing through the Balaju area.

The cleaning team is currently working on the Ichhumati (Tukuche) River.

The team has spent a week cleaning the Ichhumati River, which flows through the central part of the capital.

According to the group’s supervisor, Sagar Luintel, they have found more waste in the Ichhumati compared to other rivers.

The metropolitan city has deployed machinery for cleaning the Rudramati River.

However, while the river appeared clean during the cleaning process, it has now started accumulating plastic and other waste again.

Laxman Dhakal, a local from Kapan, noted that the river, which looked attractive during the cleaning, is now dirty again.

He mentioned that the situation seems like “walking and erasing footprints” due to the lack of monitoring after the cleaning.

The metropolitan city has announced plans to clean other rivers in the area similarly.

Direct disposal of sewage and waste into the rivers has caused them to become foul-smelling. Walking along the riverbanks requires holding one’s nose due to the stench.

Despite starting the Bagmati cleaning campaign on May 19, 2013, the river has not become as clean as expected.

Even after 580 weeks of the Bagmati Clean-Up Campaign, there has been little change in the condition of the river.

Similar efforts have been made for all the rivers in the valley and the Ring Road, but their condition remains the same.

There have been complaints that local government support for the community-initiated campaign has been lacking.

Amid these complaints, the metropolitan city has started its river cleaning efforts.