Bhaktapur, August 23

The historical Kamal Pokhari in Bhaktapur has become a swimming pool for local children.

“Many children go swimming in the pond instead of going to school,” said Tirtha Man Dumaru, president of Kamal Vinayak Tole Reform Committee. “We tried warning them away, but they didn’t listen to us. The children are almost always here by mid-day. We have stopped saying anything to them now,” he said.

The committee had started fish farming in the pond five years ago in a bid to attract tourists. It has also constructed a park around the pond. Parents of these children said they were tired of reprimanding their children for bunking school to swim in the pond.

A parent Iswori Shrestha said,”We get our children all ready to go to school, but they simply go swimming. When I found this out, I tried to convince my son against it, but he refuses to listen.”

The pond is not suitable for children to swim in as the water is very polluted. “The pond is more than 6 feet deep and covers an area of 26 ropanis,” said Dumaru.

According to a teacher of Paragon Academy, the school punishes even children who swim in the pond after school. “There is no record of our students bunking school,” the teacher added.