Plan And Implement

ANYONE who has witnessed the pell-mell way the Kathmandu Valley has developed over the decades cannot but be filled with apprehension as to what direction it is taking. All the signs are there that the Valley’s growth has been too haphazard and it is bursting at the seams in many pockets of intense growth. Thoughtless urbanisation over the decades with little care to planning has meant that the Valley is in a mess. Before the Valley land prices went down in recent years and water shortage got most acute, the most visible activity on the floor of the Valley was building construction. Every little space, it seems, was being covered with bricks and concrete. While construction boom went up and up, the level and status of infrastructure remained where it was decades ago. Not that plans were not drawn up before. So far dozens of plans, big and small, have been formulated over the decades on how to develop the Valley the planned way. Unfortunately, these plans were never serious implemented. Efforts are on at present to formulating another plan for the Valley, this time a 20-year long-term development plan. The Kathmandu Valley Urban Development Committee the other day discussed the proposed draft of the plan to give it a final shape. Nothing is wrong in drawing up a policy document and a blue print for realising the concept of a balanced, sustainable and feasible development of the valley, which is not only the national administrative hub, but also a cultural, archaeological and tourist centre. The proposed plan seeks to turn Kathmandu into an environmentally clean and beautiful capital city. It is proposed that the Valley is developed as a single plan unit and capital investment be decentralised to areas other than the Valley, while encouraging environmentally sound high-tech industries in the Valley. Overall, the proposed plan seeks to confine the human settlement, presently at 27 per cent, to 40 per cent of the total area 20 years from now. Good thoughts. But as Minister for Physical Planning and Public Works Mahanta Thakur said at the interaction, plans are not enough. They need to be earnestly implemented. Mr. Thakur revealed that necessary laws were being drafted for establishment of a separate, independent body to follow up on implementation of the plan and coordinate between related agencies. This is perhaps the most crucial activity that the government can seriously take up in order to avoid ending up with a big plan that simply cannot be implemented just like its predecessors.

Polluting Carpet Industry

CARPETS over the years have been major export items. As a foreign exchange generating sector, carpet industry as such has been contributing to the national economy. Besides the employment opportunities it creates, Nepalese carpets have been able to enhance the unique identity of the country in the foreign markets. With its ability to generate some eleven billion rupees through exports, it is termed as a major industry employing 400,000 workers. It is by no means a small industry and any upheavals in the market is bound to have major repercussions. But all has not gone well with this money spinning industry in recent times. Adverse publicity regarding the use of child labour and toxic colouring chemicals in some countries specially Germany resulted in a substantial loss for this industry. Despite the plunge in exports a few years back, the industry has staged a comeback with exports increasing. The industry must not only be taken as a goose that lays golden eggs, but efforts ought to be undertaken to eliminate the many problem it faces. In addition the problems of pollution created by the industry has to receive priority for resolving them. The environmental hazards arising from the unscientific dumping of waste water produced during dyeing and washing processes too needs to be eliminated. Unless immediate measures are taken to check the large scale pollution by carpet industries, this promising industry may face hurdles in its efforts for expansion. The necessity is there for giving stress on pollution measures together with working to develop this as a sustainable industry.

It was this particular motive that a one day awareness raising seminar on Environmental Improvement and Better Business in the Carpet Sector was organised jointly by DANIDA and FINNIDA. Discussion were related to eco- labeling, cleaner production and environmental and quality management systems. These issues must receive the necessary focus if Nepal is to compete in the global carpet market. The cut throat competitive international market does not allow any compromise in quality so utmost care has to be taken by the carpet manufacturers. In this respect, it is also the duty of the government to see that the right policies are in place and the monitoring system is efficient and effective. The joint effort of the government and the carpet entrepreneurs will do much to make carpet industry a major contributor to the national economy and at the same time check pollutants released by such industries in rivers like Bagmati.