Kathmandu, June 23: Kathmandu
Metropolis has launched a river cleaning drive, deploying 55 employees from the
Environment Department at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office.
The initiative aims to clean up
several rivers including Rudramati (Dhobi Khola), Khahare (a seasonal river in
Kapan), Bhachaakhushi in the Balaju area, and Ichchhumati (Tukucha), it is
said.
Currently, the team has been
working on Tukucha for a week. Supervisor Sagar Luintel said that Tukucha has
accumulated more garbage compared to other rivers they have tackled so far. In
the case of Rudramati, the local government took the help of a machine to
collect the trash.
According to Laxman Dhakal of
Kapan, the Rudramati which seemed clean after the cleaning has already started
dealing with the garbage issue again, highlighting the necessity for a
regulation by local authorities and increased civic awareness to maintain the
cleanliness of the rivers and prevent future pollution.
Rivers in the Kathmandu Valley have
long been heavily encroached upon, serving as dumping grounds for sewage and
garbage, resulting in a significant pollution issue.
The Bagmati River Cleaning
initiative launched from the civic level on May 19, 2013, has not yielded
significant results. (RSS)