KMC authorised to supply water to Sundhara

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb. 26: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) will be responsible for supplying water to Sundhara and opening the water outlet.

A recent meeting chaired by Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, attended by Minister for Urban Development Kumar Ingnam, Acting Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Sunita Dangol, Home Secretary Rajkumar Shrestha, Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development Gopal Sigdel, and other officials, decided to assign the responsibility of bringing water to Sundhara and operating the water outlet to KMC.

Home Minister Aryal stated that it is appropriate to entrust the operation and management of such structures to the local government.

Minister for Urban Development Prof. Dr. Kumar Ingnam also said that it would be appropriate to hand over the responsibility of Sundhara to KMC.

Acting Mayor of KMC Sunita Dangol said that the Metropolitan City is ready to assume responsibility for operating and managing the Dharahara area.

The foundation stone for the reconstruction of the new Dharahara tower, which collapsed in the 2015 earthquake, was laid in 2018.

The new Dharahara, as currently constructed, is 79.2 metres (257.4 feet) tall. Although it appears to have 11 floors from the outside, it has 22 floors internally.

The old Dharahara, built in 1825 (1882 BS) by then Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa in memory of his queen Tripura Sundari Devi, was reduced to rubble in the 2015 earthquake. When it collapsed, 155 people, who had climbed the tower, lost their lives.

Earlier, before 1933 (1990 BS), the tower was 11 storeys high. In the earthquake of Magh 2, 1990 BS (1933 AD), it collapsed, leaving only four and a half stories standing. During subsequent renovation, the tower was rebuilt to a height of 215 feet with nine storeys and 213 steps.

The Dharahara, which collapsed in the 1933 earthquake, was reconstructed within two years. Then Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher Rana ordered it to be rebuilt with nine floors while retaining its original design. A balcony was added on the seventh floor, and a Shivalinga was placed above it.

There were 25 steps on the ground floor of the old Dharahara, leading to the first floor. A pinnacle was placed at the top of the tower. The Dharahara was built in the Mughal architectural style, while the surrounding wall reflected European design. Its construction style was considered a symbol of shared architectural heritage and religious tolerance among Hindus, Muslims, and Christians.