BAJURA: The civil society in Karnali has started a campaign to clean the Karnali River.

Complaining about the mixing of waste in the river and the bad odour it produces, Janesh Bhandari, Chair of Civil Service Stakeholders Forum, Bajura said that the campaign intended to clean the river and manage wastes around the river bank once every week.

Decisions were also taken regarding the arrangement of a proper place for waste disposal, construction of waste pits, and responsible management of wastes produced by industries.

The campaign targets to clean the river banks that fall in Bajura district, a 44-kilometre long stretch. The civil societies are also pressurising the local government to take action against those who are carelessly dumping wastes in the river.

According to Kuber Shahi, the acting officer at Swamikartik Rural Municipality, Karnali River has also become a dumping site for empty alcohol bottles. He added that due to the disposal of alcohol bottles, the river bank was filled with glasses which made it difficult for the locals to access the river.