KATHMANDU, May 19: The Bagmati River is yet to be witnessed clean and clear despite five years' relentless efforts to clean it. The Bagmati River Cleanup Mega Campaign which was begun five years ago on the same day today has completed five years' journey but the condition is still not satisfactory and worrying.
10 tonnes of solid waste scooped up from Rivers in valley
The cleanup campaign so far has been organized in about 45 different places and about 20,000 tons of waste has been extracted from the river and riverside during the period. Thousands of participants were found involved in the campaign on every Saturday but the campaign is yet to be translated into an effective result.
Narendra Raj Basnet, the 11th chair of the High Powered Bagmati Clean Up campaign also accepts the reality and says, "The river is still polluted and much more effort is needed to restore Bagmati River to its former glory."
A total of 35 metric tons of waste was collected from the Kathmandu Valley based rivers and the Ring Road areas and managed today.
Under the Bagmati River Cleaning Mega Campaign which enters the 262nd week today, a total of 10 metric tons of waste was managed from the Sankhamul areas. A candle lit ceremony will also be held in the evening today to mark the campaign's five-year completion.
Over 800 representatives from High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization, Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, the Muktinath Development Bank, Reiyukai, Nyano Sparsha Foundation and Thakuri Society took part in the campaign, according to one of the campaigners Mala Kharel said.
Bagmati Civilization civic Ambassador and actress Manisha Koirala, former secretary Kishor Thapa and Committee chair Narendra Raj Basent had led the campaign today.
Various organizations like Bagmati Beauty Concerned Forum; Kanti Bhairav Gurukul; Pudasaini Friendship Society and Ramro Jorpati, Hamro Jorpati are also the contributors to the campaign focused on the area above the Guheshwari Area Tenle area. The cleanup campaign has reached 223rd week today.
Under the Rudramati River Cleaning Campaign, one metric ton of waste was collected and managed from the area in between to Ratopul and Kmalpokhari. The campaign entered to 224th week and has been collected two metric ton of wastages from there today.
Likewise, the Manohara River was also cleaned at the Jatibuti bridge area and one metric ton of waste was managed. The Gongabu Ganesthan area in Tokha Municipality-9 was cleaned in the 189th week of the Bishnumati River Cleaning Campaign with the management of eight metric tons of waste by over 200 people, said Chandra Dhakal.
In the cleaning of the ring road area from Tribhuvan International Airport to Tilganga, over 450 people were participated and eight metric tons of garbage was managed from there.
In the 58th week of the Aloknagar Area in Kathmandu Metropolitan City-31, the Matrishakti Cleanliness Group conducted a public awareness programme on the importance of cleanliness of community, campaign coordinator Pramila Poudel told the RSS.
Similarly, the Bafal area along the ring road area, ten metric tons of waste materials were collected and managed with the enthusiastic participation of locals. The campaign was launched from Solteedobato to Syuchatar, sad campaigner Tara Bahadur Kunwar.
Though the awareness of cleaning the rivers and roads have increased, the result is not satisfactory. The regular contributors comment that most of the activities are only for cheap popularity which could not give effective result. RSS
