KATHMANDU: Japan has extended financial assistance to an ongoing project for improving living environment of communities in Kathmandu through prevention and pollution control of the Bagmati River.

According to the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, the Government of Japan decided to extend the assistance of USD 133,709 (Rs 14.2 million) to SOMNEED, a Japanese NGO, to support the latter's partner agency in Nepal, SOMNEED-Nepal for the implementation of the third phase of the project.

The support comes under the under the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects Scheme.

The Embassy informed that the grant contract relating the project is scheduled to be signed and exchanged on May 19 in Kathmandu.

The project aims at reducing contamination of the Bagmati River through the construction of water treatment systems in three different communities of Gokarna, on the northern outskirts of Kathmandu Valley.

The Embassy informed that the first phase of the three-year project was implemented in Deshe Village in February 2014 and the second phase in Basnet Gaun in February 2015.

The third phase of project will be based at Naidol of Gokarna, with 250 households. The amount will be spent in construction of a decentralised wastewater treatment facility, and capacity building training for the community members and training of trainers.