Now fish can survive in Bagmati River

Kathmandu, February 13

After 114 weeks of cleaning the Bagmati River, aquatic beings can now survive in the Bagmati River above the Guheshwori.

Board of Director of High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilisation and General Secretary of Nepal Advertising Agencies’ Narayan Shrestha said that fish have grown in the river above the Guheshwori area, thanks to the untiring clean up campaign.

The Bagmati cleanup campaign was started in 2070 BS by then chief secretary Leela Mani Paudyal. The Pudasaini Maitri Samaj, Ramro Jorpati Hamro Jorpati and Makalbari Tol Reform Committee had been collecting garbage in the Bagmati River after 39 weeks of the beginning of the greater campaign.

“Fish have started swimming in Bagmati some thirty years after the cleanliness campaign was launched. However, fish and other aquatic animals are not visible in the river down the Pashupatinath Temple as the processed garbage have been mixed in the river down the Pashupati area,” Chairman of Pudasaini Maitri Samaj Uttam Pudasaini said.

On Saturday, a total of 14 metric tons of garbage was collected from the river nearby Minbhawan.

Former chief secretary Paudyal, Secretary at the Ministry of Urban Development Dipendra Nath Sharma, campaigner Dr Raju Adhikari and security personnel, among others, were present to clean up the river on Saturday.