Protecting Phewa Lake

Pokhara, known as the nation's capital of tourism, is synonymous with scenic beauty. Its economy largely hinges on the flow of tourists who throng to relish its beautiful lakes and shiny mountains that line its northern border. The picturesque city hosts numerous lakes, including Phewa and Begnas. The Annapurna range standing nearby provides a breathtaking view from the city.  However, illegally built structures that have encroached on the lake recently have become an eyesore, impacting its magnificence and ecological balance. In 2023, the Supreme Court ordered the removal of all structures within a 65-metre protected area from the high-flood line. The verdict aimed to safeguard water quality, biodiversity, and the lake’s natural beauty. Earlier, a total of 611 poles had been placed along the roughly 16-kilometre perimeter to demarcate the lake area. 

Previously, the governments' endeavour to implement the court's order met with the obstacles from the encroachers and both visible and hidden forces that supported them. This time, however, Prime Minister Balendra Shah's government has stepped up the measures to demolish such illegal structures, which will restore the exquisiteness of the water body. The move closely aligns with the electoral agenda of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). 

Hotels, restaurants, resorts and other commercial structures that slowly encroached on the lake's natural shoreline and buffer zone diminished the natural beauty of the lake and polluted it. Likewise, the hustle and bustle around these areas has disturbed the fragile ecosystem of the lake, including the birds, both native and migratory, vegetation, and the aquatic ecosystem. The government, time and again, intensified the effort to execute the court order and remove the illegal structures within the lake boundary, but failed due to obstruction from the encroachers' side and the undue influence they exerted. This time, however, the new government seems firm on its stance, and Pokhara Metropolitan City has demolished the illegal physical infrastructures. The court ruling envisioned a green, lush Phewa buffer zone that could control pollution and erosion. If the government does not take the right action on time, the Phewa Lake will suffer irreparable harm, so the bulldozers demolishing the swimming pools and demolishing the restaurants were important. 

The Supreme Court's verdict stresses that the private land that does not fall under protected areas and that was legally registered before the lakes boundary was demarcated in 1973-74 will be liable to compensation. Encroachers staging a protest and demanding compensation do not have any legal basis, as the government is not liable to compensate those who have constructed the structures encroaching the lake; instead, they should be punished as per law. The Phewa Lake, one among the cluster of nine lakes in Kaski, is listed in the Ramsar site, and it plays an important role in groundwater recharge, water purification and climate regulation. However, pollution, human encroachment, and the construction of infrastructure for commercial purposes have led to the shrinking of the lake. Phewa is not the only lake to face encroachment; nearly every other lake and wetland in Nepal has encountered a similar problem. The natural boundaries of lakes and wetlands were deliberately shrunk to fulfil vested interests. Now it’s time for this government to demolish illegal structures built around such lakes and wetlands in an endeavour to restore their natural beauty and protect the ecosystem and the communities dependent on them.