KATHMANDU, JUNE 23

Kathmandu Metropolis has launched a river cleaning drive, deploying 55 employees from the Environment Department at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office.

The initiative aims to clean up several rivers including Rudramati (Dhobi Khola), Khahare (a seasonal river in Kapan), Bhachaakhushi in the Balaju area, and Ichchhumati (Tukucha), it is said.

Currently, the team has been working on Tukucha for a week. Supervisor Sagar Luintel said that Tukucha has accumulated more garbage compared to other rivers they have tackled so far. In the case of

Rudramati, the local government took the help of a machine to collect the trash.

According to Laxman Dhakal of Kapan, the Rudramati which seemed clean after the cleaning has already started dealing with the garbage issue again, highlighting the necessity for a regulation by local authorities and increased civic awareness to maintain the cleanliness of the rivers and prevent future pollution.

Rivers in the Kathmandu Valley have long been heavily encroached upon, serving as dumping grounds for sewage and garbage, resulting in a significant pollution issue.

The Bagmati River Cleaning initiative launched from the civic level on May 19, 2013, has not yielded significant results.