Road brings both tourists and trash to Rara

By Hari Krishna Aidi,Mugu, July 26: Since Nepal’s largest lake, Rara, was connected to the road network, the number of tourists visiting the area has increased significantly in recent years. However, the lack of waste management and sanitation around the lake has resulted in the littering of the beautiful lake area with unpleasant  odours everywhere. 

Popular tourist spots such as Rara, Murmatap Himal, and Mili Chaur have become particularly affected, with growing amounts of garbage scattered across these areas. 

Domestic tourist Ram Kumar Khanal expressed concern over the lack of proper waste disposal, noting that the areas surrounding the lake have begun to throw foul smells. According to him, garbage is accumulating everyday as tourists tend to carelessly discard wrappers from biscuits, noodles, and chocolates, along with mineral water bottles and beer cans.

One local, Shyam Bahadur Shahi, added that the problem persists because the responsible authorities have failed to conduct regular clean-up campaigns around Rara Lake.

Acting Office Chief of the Rara National Park Office in Mugu, Rishikesh Yadav, stated that although tourists are informed not to litter when paying entrance fees, many still discard waste such as beer, Coca-Cola, and Fanta bottles, along with noodle and biscuit wrappers and other refuse, throughout the park.

Yadav acknowledged that while efforts have been made by Rara National Park, the Intermediate Area Development Committee, and Hanuman Dhwaj Division of Nepali Army to collect and manage waste from time to time, the continuous influx of tourists, who ignore proper disposal practices, has resulted in visible littering everywhere.

On the second Friday of each month, Nepal Army park staff stationed for security purposes conduct waste collection and disposal activities. However, these measures have not been sufficient to reduce the overall volume of trash. Despite the presence of waste pits throughout the park, birds often scavenge the waste and spread it around, further worsening problem.

To address this, the park authorities are preparing to install covered dustbins in areas with higher footfall around Rara Lake to improve the waste management situation. 

A few years ago, with support from Nepal Telecom, covered bins were installed in locations such as Mili within the Rara National Park. However, Yadav reported that these bins were stolen by locals overnight. At present, aside from a few basic waste pits, no agency has taken responsibility for installing dustbins. “When the wind blows or birds scatter the waste, garbage from the pits becomes visible everywhere,” said Yadav.