Valley residents worried over drying up of stone spouts

By Kiran Chapagain

KATHMANDU, Sept 4 - As this year’s monsoon is approaching to an end, sixty-year-old Jagadish Rimal’s concern for Dillibazar Dhungedhara (stone spout) is growing. The reason is that even during the monsoon season, he did not see a big flow of water in the Dhungedhara.

Dillibazar Dhungedhara represents the general fate of the centuries-old stone spouts situated in the Kathmandu valley. In general, the water flow from the stone spouts is decreasing as the water-sources have been adversely affected by unplanned physical infrastructures constructed in the city, experts say.

"No attention has been given to retain the stone-spouts sources that lead water to stone spouts undisturbed," Bishnu Raj Karki says, adding, "As a result, the water coming to the spouts from natural sources have been diverted underground."

Karki, who studied Bhaktapur’s stone spouts when he was at the Department of Archaeology, says that only those stone spouts, which have deep original sources, will have continuous flow of water in the coming days.

Natural water sources need recharging regularly. However, in the recent days, due to widespread cement construction in and around the stone spouts and its locality, natural water sources have been deprived of recharges, says Prayag Joshi, who has studied the stone spouts of Patan.

Joshi, who works as a senior civil engineer at Urban Development Through Local Efforts of Kathmandu Metropolis, observes that even the increasing exploitation of underground water by tube wells and shallow tube wells has led to the decrease of water in the stone spouts.

"Besides, heavy vehicles plying in the vicinity of stone spouts have caused mud channel to break and consequently divert the water from the stone spouts, says Suman K. Shakya of Environment and Public Health Organisation (ENPHO). Shakya headed a team to study the stone spouts in the Kathmandu valley last year.

Meanwhile, despite alarming results from various studies indicating harmful pollutants existing in the water coming from the stone spouts, local people are still using the water to meet their demand.

There is no exact information on the users of water from the stone spouts. However, a household survey carried out by Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) about five years ago showed that 15 percent of the capital’s total population use alternative sources of water. "It does not even indicate specifically how many people use water from the stone spouts," says Kaushal Nath Bhattarai, General Manager of the NWSC.

A large number of people living in Gyaneshwor still depend on the local spout for water, says Lok Bahadur Shahi, a local resident. "As many houses here do not have pipe connection to the government water supply, they are using water from the stone spouts."

They have no idea that the water coming from this Gyaneshwor spout contains concentrated nitrate far more than the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines’ of 10mg/L for drinking water.

According to a recent study of 24 stone spouts in the Valley, water from these stone spouts had high concentration of nitrate ranging from 10.24 to 37.6 mg/L, far above the WHO guidelines, according to the ENPHO which conducted the study.

Other studies carried out in the past had also revealed similar type of alarming findings, indicating that the ground water of the Valley is not up to the standard for drinking.

According to Dr. Suman K. Shakya of ENPHO, the water having nitrate exceeding the WHO guidelines may increase the risk of stomach cancer in case of long-term exposure.

S Asia documentary fest in the offing

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 4 – Forty–five best documentary films from South Asian countries will be screened at the Film South Asia ’01 festival in Kathmandu, which is going to be held from 4-7 October 2001.

According to the press release issued here today by Film South Asia ’01, fifteen selected best films among these will travel throughout the world and the cities of South Asia in the coming year.

Forty-five documentaries were selected from the 175 submitted, which will be presented by their makers converging in the Kathmandu Valley for the event.

"We see a sharp rise this time in the quality of documentaries being made in our region," Manesh Shrestha, Director of the FSA, stated in the release.

The annual festival of FSA started in 1997. Since then FSA is playing a central role for popularizing the documentaries as a medium of expression and attracting audience for non-fiction films and videos, states the press release.

FSA exhibition is expected to go to about 40 venues around the world and about 12 cities in South Asia. Whereas the festival will be opened by the film "The Hills Are Red" by Dhruba Basnet, documented on the Maoist insurgency and its place of origin in the districts of Rukum, Rolpa and Jajarkot, the release states.

The best film will receive the "Ram Bahadur Trophy" and US $ 2000. FSA’01 is being organised by the non-profit Himal Association and Himal, the South Asian Magazine, states the press release.

Japanese grant to KMTNC

KATHMANDU, Sept 4 (PR) - A grant contract was signed and exchanged today between the Ambassador of Japan Mitsuaki Kojima and Jai Pratap Rana, Member Secretary of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC), states a press release issued here today.

The Embassy of Japan has extended a grant of US$33,450 equivalent to about Rs 2,497,000 to the KMTNC for the Manaslu Conservation Area Project in Japan’s FY 2001 under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Project (GGP) Scheme of the Government of Japan.

Under the grant contract, the KMTNC will carry out sustainable community development component of the project by constructing seven drinking water systems and seven community toilets in different parts of the conservation area.

Requiem on Late Royalties released

KATHMANDU, Sep 4 (PR) - Poet laureate Madhav Prasad Ghimire released a requiem Mero Raja by Gaunle Baldev amidst a programme today. The poem focuses on the past memories of Their Late Majesties King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, and other Royal family members.

Chairman of Rajparishad Standing Committee Keshar Jung Rayamajhi,who was also the chief guest of the programme said, "the elegy touches the heart of every Nepali citizen." The requiem also presents the contributions made by the Late King in beautiful style. Poet Ghimire said, "the poetic work is an effective mournful chant ever produced."

Stress on free education

KATHMANDU, Sept 4 (PR) – Member of the Rajparishad Standing Committee Dhir Bahadur Lama inaugurated the ceremony of the second anniversary of the Nepal Settlement, Rehabilitation and Protection Society and the first anniversary of the Society of Women’s Unity (SWU) today.

The two organisations have made joint efforts in giving basic health education and organising clean-up programmes for a clean and helthy environment. They laid emphasis on women empowerment, transportation and free education to children in the villages.

The ceremony was jointly organised amidst a large gathering of people from various districts of Nepal. Speaking on the occasion, Sunita Lama, chairperson of the SWU said, " In a span of one year, we have solved problems of sanitation, electricity, transportation and drinking water in concerned villages."

Israeli envoy visits IOE

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 4 - Ambassador of Israel to Nepal Avrahman Nir visited different facilities of the Institute of Engineering (IOE) at Pulchowk today.

The Ambassador visited the Center for Energy Offices (CES), and the zero energy building under construction and acquired information on alternative renewable energy development.

Ambassador Avrahman Nir emphasized on the possibility of cooperation between Nepal and Israel in developing alternative energy especially solar, citing excellent friendship between the two countries, states an IOE press release issued here today.