Rapti River clean-up campaign begins

By Anil Parajuli,Hetauda, Nov. 19: A major clean-up campaign along the Rapti riverbank in Hetauda began on Monday. 

The initiative, which will run from Hetauda to Golaghat in Chitwan, has been launched with the slogan, “Purity of the Rapti River is Our Commitment: The Rapti River Basin is the Lifeline of Wildlife.”

The campaign was inaugurated under the Rapti Khola bridge in Hetauda-10 to mark the third Rapti River Clean-up Day.

Representatives from the Makwanpur Division Forest Office, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepali Army, community forests, Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City, Gorkhashwor Temple and local elected officials collected waste from the riverbanks to kick-start the drive.

According to Basantraj Gautam, a forest officer at the Division Forest Office, around two tractor loads of waste were collected on the first day alone. The campaign, which started in Hetauda, is continuing at various locations downstream in Chitwan.

Unmanaged waste dumping has long affected wildlife living in and around Chitwan National Park. Plastic and other waste have put gharials, rare otters, fish and other aquatic species at risk, while also harming the region’s tourism appeal. Deer have begun suffering serious health problems after ingesting plastic, Gautam said.

The Rapti River is a key habitat for the critically endangered gharial, the rare otter, several native and migratory bird species, turtles and numerous fish. 

Rising pollution has therefore become a pressing concern. 

Although river clean-up work began on January 5, 2017, the campaign expanded into an awareness-focused initiative on November 17, 2018, and has now grown into a major drive, said Apil Ghimire, Coordinator of the Campaign.

According to divisional forest officer Rakesh Prasad Chandravanshi, the campaign aims to keep the Rapti River and surrounding water sources clean while creating a safer habitat for wildlife. Clean-up activities will continue from Hetauda to Golaghat, he added.

Phurwa Dorje Lama, coordinator of the Forest, Environment and Disaster Management Committee of Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City, said that cooperation from both local authorities and citizens is essential to curb the practice of dumping waste indiscriminately.

The clean-up campaign is being led by the Makwanpur Division Forest Office with active support from Hetauda Sub-metropolitan City, Makwanpur District Police Office, Armed Police Force Battalion No. 14 Hetauda, and the Nepali Army’s Suparetar Barracks. 

To promote the conservation and cleanliness of the Rapti River, which flows from Hetauda through Chitwan National Park to Golaghat, Rapti River Conservation Day is observed annually on November 17 (Mangsir 1).