Kathmandu, October 15:

The Kathmandu Valley Town Development Committee (KVTDC), Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) and the Melamchi Drinking Water Project are preparing a map of the Kathmandu valley to help the government launch development programmes.

Existing physical infrastructure will figure in the map. A satellite image of the valley has been taken to prepare the map through Geographic Information System (GIS) and Computer Aided Designing (CAD). The KMC had prepared a detailed map of the valley in 1973.

Dinesh Pote, sub-engineer at the KVCDC, told this daily today that this is the latest mapping of the valley and it will have all information about the five municipalities, namely Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City, Bhaktapur Municipality, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality and the Kirtipur Municipality. “We will draw the map by using latest technologies,” Pote said, adding, “The map will help the policy-makers launch new development projects in the valley.”

“The mapping will not define the residential areas, industrial areas and other sectors because the standard for construction of buildings in VDCs lying within municipalities has been implemented,” he said.

Two engineering firms are working under a joint venture to complete the valley mapping. He said that the firms have submitted the interim report, but a final report is yet to be

prepared. “By mid-November, they will prepare the final report on valley mapping,” he added.

According to Pote, an agreement was signed with the consultants on June 8, 2007 for valley mapping on 100 sq km of area. December 10 is the deadline for completing the project.