BHARATPUR, NOVEMBER 12

The Rapti River clean-up campaign has been launched in a bid to protect the aquatic animals. The Rapti River cleaning campaign picked up trashes from the river on Monday.

The river flows by the Chitwan National Park (CNP). The campaign launched the clean-up from Patihani to Golghat of the river.

With the rise of human activities on the river bank, the environment for the aquatic birds and animals was disturbed, according to campaign coordinator Apil Ghimire.

The cleaning drive was launched in the stretch of some 30 metre on Monday, collecting 2,800 kgs of waste, he added. The waste included plastics, glasses, pieces of cloths, and various metals.

The campaign has so far collected and managed as much as 25,000 metric tons of waste. A total of 21,000 volunteers were mobilized for the cleaning drive.

Chief of Chitwan National Park, Dr Ganesh Pant, informed that the rising human encroachment has posed a threat to water birds and animals. 'Even the ghariyals are found trapped in plastic nets and does eaten plastic shreds,' he said, adding that rhinoceroses' legs were pierced with glass.

The campaign was joined by the CNP employees, Nepali Army persons, buffer zone forest representatives, local representatives and school teachers and students.