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Kathmandu Monday January 01, 2001 Paush 17, 2057.
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Major works on Bagmati river cleaning completed
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Dec 31 - While several propaganda trumpeted by private parties to
clean the environment of the Bagmati river has contributed little to the progress so far,
a five year old government project seems to be on the verge of getting some concrete
results.
Talking to the journalists, Chairman of Authorised Bagmati Area Sewage
Construction/Improvement Project (ABASCP) said today, that two major tasks of the project
-- constructions of a water treatment plant and a outlet tunnel to discharge the treated
water--are to be completed soon. "The construction will be completed on schedule. The
water of Bagmati will be clean after these two major tasks are complete," he said.
A high capacity water treatment plant is being constructed at a 100 ropani
area on the Bagmati river bank near Guheshwori temple. The plant’s collection chamber
collects sewage from 11 km long drains, which till now discharged directly into the holy
river, before flowing on to the two oxidation chambers of 52 million litre capacity each.
Engineer Ram Dip Shah said that 70 per cent of the project has finished and
it will be complete before monsoon. He added, "This projet will directly benefit the
7.4 million population. If each family pays Rs 150 per month for the management of their
sewage from their home, the plant will be self-dependent."
The plant needs Rs 12 million each year, out of which 70 per cent will be
spent as energy cost.
Similarly, Chinese company, Sandong International Technical and Economic
Cooperation, has recently finished digging the tunnel portion a month ahead of schedule.
The tunnel, costing Rs 89 million, is being constructed to carry out the treated water
from the treatment plant to Tilganga, by-passing Aryaghat sacred portion of the river bank
beside the temple of Pashupatinath. Poudel said, "This is the first tunnel dug using
this kind of technique in Nepal."
According to him, lack of awareness among the locals, industries
contaminating the river and lack of legal provisions to punish the wrongdoers are the main
hurdles to the project.
Inviting the local communities and institutions to share and to participate
in keeping the Bagmati clean, Poudel said, "It is impossible to revive the fortune of
the contaminated river without the help from the locals and other institutions."
Around 68 industries and nearly two million people pour industrial effluent
and human-waste directly into the holy river, which is the backbone of the civilization of
the Kathmanduites and not just a river of religious, cultural and social importance.
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