Himalayan News Service

Pokhara, July 23:

A drive to clean the Phirke river began today. The campaign was organised by the local Milan Development Centre. Phirke river is littered with plastic and waste is disposed here indiscriminately. This river is considered to be a major source of pollution in Phewa Lake.

‘Don’t litter your surroundings, rivers and lakes if you can’t keep them clean’ is the main slogan of this campaign, said Shyam Adhikari president of MDC. Youth, elderly people and children all are enthusiastically participating in the campaign and we are trying to make the Phirke river free of plastic, he said. Sarangkot, where the Phirke river originates, is clean but as the river flows towards the city, it gets dirty because town dwellers discharge waste into the river, he said. The MDC is also planning to help local communities in their drive to keep the Phewa lake clean, said Binod Dhaulagiri, the director of the campaign. “We will also urge the local authority to punish polluters,” he said.