Maladies Of Urban Growth In Kathmandu Valley
Regulatory Framework Essential

By Shanker K.C.

KATHMANDU Valley is undergoing rapid transformation in its built-up environment as the valley is experiencing unprecedented urban growth in recent years. The city skyline is gradually turning into concrete jungle encroaching on traditional green paddy fields and limited open space. Within the core city area there is almost no green and open space left. As a result, city core area has become suffocating and extremely polluted. There are virtually no green parks and public sport grounds for refreshment and recreation in the inner city area.

There is natural obstacle to continued outward expansion of the Kathmandu Valley. The bowl shaped Valley, because of its mountainous surroundings, cannot accommodate ever-growing expansion. The Valley in the past developed through uncontrolled and unregulated process and continues to do so. There are no physical planning frameworks to guide the city development. And even if there has been any, it has either become refundant or was never implemented and enforced.

As a result of unplanned informal growth, infrastructure and transportation network have become seriously inadequate. Haphazard growth has constrained further development of instructures incurring huge costs to national and municipal exchequer. There is no comprehensive sewerage network for the whole of the city Rudimentary and fragmented sewerage network existing in some part of the city is very inadequate and sewage is dumped untreated in the river system further accentuating the problem of environmental problems. Solid waste management has become big headache to policy makers and city managers.

In the recent years vehicles ownership has increased dramatically and traffic congestion has also become serious problem. Public transport system, which is mainly in the form of dilapidated buses, minibuses and three wheelers, is severely overloaded and competes for the same limited road with private vehicles. Atmospheric pollution because of vehicular and industrial emissions has reached unprecedented high level. The bowl shape of the Valley has further compounded the existing problem of environmental pollution.

We have become so obsessed with commercial value of the land that the very agencies, which are entrusted to safeguard greenery and open space, are encouraging construction boom and exploiting limited land space for commercial purposes. Recent example is construction of commercial complex by Public Park and Town Hall Management Committee in the old bus park area of central Kathmandu Central government agencies, police, army, and public educational institutions and even the municipalities of valley are rushing to exploit the limited open space owned by them for commercial purposes and constructing commercial complexes. The "shutter culture" has threatened the greenery; open space as well as ancient cultural heritages of the Valley.

The term "urban planning" nowadays has wider connotation and is concerned with the economic, social and political aspects of the urban development. However, physical aspects of the urban planning that are designed for growth and management of physical environment is also very critical to healthy urban development. A well-planned and beautiful city can act as an economic growth centre and also greatly contributes to overall social and economic development. No government or municipal authorities can leave the urban development to laissez-faires approach.

This laissez-faire approach to urban development had led to a syndrome of public squalor and private affluence. Our public infrastructures are dilapidated where as the personal mansions are sprouting everywhere in the city landscape. There is a serious lack of community open space and playgrounds for majority of children and youth. Where as there are private sport complexes, swimming pools and clubs for those who can afford. As a result social polarization has also increased.

The city is gradually becoming so ugly that its potential as tourist destination is loosing ground and our cultural heritage is being threatened and becoming overshadowed under the concrete jungle. This very concretisation for commercialisation threatens healthy economic development of the Valley.

To manage this haphazard growth, private rights to develop and use land should be regulated in the public interests. The land uses should be separated, particularly industrial and residential uses. Urban sprawl over the surrounding countryside should at least be restricted by the use of green belts or agricultural belts to preserve natural environment.

Municipalities in collaboration with the municipal authorities can acquire many diapidated structures like the Office of Controller of Examinations of T.U. in Jamal or army barracks in core area of the city owned by public institution and use them for constructing green park or sport facilities for general public. Similarly, as many ministries are now being relocated in Singhdurbar premises, the old palaces like Keshar Mahal, Bag Durbar, Harihar Bhawan, Shree Mahal can be converted into public museum or public library or some public recreational centres.

Our obsession with the commercialisation of limited land space should be stopped. Public institutions should be discouraged to construct commercial as well as other buildings in the inner city core area. Furthermore, municipalities should be aware of the importance of green and open space as this contributes to the beautification of the city. Beautiful and clean city is valuable asset in itself for the healthy economic and social development of the city as well as the development of healthy and happy citizens.

Traditional approach like master planning may not appropriate for the rapidly growing city like Kathmandu. However, some short of regulatory framework to guide the urban development has become imperative. The innovative and incremental approach of structural planning and action planning can be applied effectively for guiding development and this also does not need huge cost. Laissez-faire approach to urban development has resulted in the wastage of vast resources, which can have negative impacts on healthy economic development of the city.

Antibiotic And Resistant Strain

By Pranita Upadhyaya

ANTIBIOTICS are special kind of chemotherapeutic agent usually obtained from living organism. They are the chemica substances produced by certain microorganisms that inhibit or kill other microorganisms. Until now different kinds of antibiotics are available like penicillin (produced by Pencillium Notatum, Penicillum chrysogenum) are used for peneumonia and meningitis, cephalosporins (by Cephalosporium acremonium) for gonorrhoea, tetracyclines (by Streptomyces rimosus, S. aureofaciens) for chlamydiae and rickettriae infection, cycloserine by Streptomyces sp.) for tuberculosis, streptomycin (by Streptomyces griseus) also for tuberculosis, nystatin for non-systematic fungal infection, griseofalvin for superficial infection and systematic mycoses, kethoxal for influenza rifamycin for leprosy and tuberculosis etc.

All these differ in their mechanism, some inhibit the cell-wall synthesis, protein synthesis while some damage the cytoplasmic membrane or inhibit the specific enzyme system.

Although antibiotics help in curing many diseases they have some drawbacks or side effects. If not used with care broad spectrum drug (i.e. which act on both Gram positive and Gram-negative bacteria) taken orally may be absorbed in the gut wall in the blood stream to attach bacteria causing tonsillitis and at the same time it kills many microorganisms in the gut. Some of them are useful in making riboflavin, vitamins B12 & K and killing of these results in vitamin deficiency disease if our diet does not contain these vitamins in sufficient amount. Diarrhoea is also frequently associated with antibiotic therapy. But the main drawback is the evolution of antibiotic resistant strain caused by carelessness in antibiotic use, which is quite dangerous.

Although antibiotics has been in vogue for over a half a century and has saved countless lives, bacterial diseases have not been eradicated and salmonela food poisoning, meningococcal meningitis, tuberculosis, leprosy are still around. The cause of all this is the antibiotic resistance developed by microorganisms. Resistance might have been foreseen if one were to consider the evolutionary process. Just as phages and bacteria have been battling through the evolution of bacterial defense mechanism so now bacteria are evolving to overcome our use of antibiotics.

The use of diluted antibiotics, rampant use in farm-animals, careless prescribing, improper use, hospitals where antibiotics are used in high levels are main cause of the antibiotic resistance.

Action of natural radiation alters the structure of the DNA base. So alteration of permeability to drug or drug target or detoxification of drug takes place. Some Gram-negative bacteria are impermeable to penicilin G.

By the possession of enzyme that cuts the antibiotic; some bacteria possess enzyme penicillinase which cut the amide bond in the penicillin molecule & thus form penicilloic acide lacking antibiotic binding site. Resistance is also developed through the chemical modification of antibiotic binding site.

The organisms may lack the structure as an antibiotic inhibits such as in the case of mycoplasmas there is no typical bacterial cell-wall and so are resistant to penicillin since they inhibit cell-wall synthesis.

The organism may modify the target of the antibiotic like alteration of ribosomal protein.

Resistance to antibiotic can occur by alteration in metabolic pathway that the antimicrobial agent blocks thus the organism develops a resistant biochemical pathway.

The organism may be able to pump out an antibiotic entering the cell. Cell-membrane acts as a pump for ejecting toxic chemical and other unwanted substances including antibiotics. Some drug resistant E. coli has pumps that are remarkably effective in expelling different types of drugs.

Usually the resistance is due to mutation in chromosomal genes or due to the presence of R-plasmid. In most of the cases antibiotic resistance mediated by chromosomal genes arises because of a modification of the target of antibiotic action. While R-plasmid encode enzyme that inactivate the drug, prevent uptake of drug or actively pump it out. The gene for drug resistance is transmitted from one bacterial cell to another in the following manner.

Transmissible R-plasmid; Resistance-plasmids were first discovered in Japan in some strain of Enteric bacteria. Many R-plasmid and (Fertility-Plasmid) F-plasmid have related tra-regions & recombination can occur between F&R plasmids. So the R-lasmid from one passes to another by conjugation.

Transposons or jumping genes; they have a natural tendency to jump on to new site on a chromosome or from plamid to plasmid. Using this mechanism genes for drug resistance can spread around to different plasmids & subsequently from one organism to another.

Similarly the antibiotic resistance spreads among human beings in different ways. Drug resistance is passed from one to another by physical contract or by shared use of non-sterile untensils. In most of the cases when antibiotic is prescribed to the patient the resistant strain that survived are "mopped up" by body immune system and are thus eliminated. But when individuals with impaired immune system are given antibiotics their immune system cannot eliminate all the drug resistant strain that survived are "mopped Up" by body immune system and are thus eliminate. But when individuals with impaired immune system are given antibiotic their immune system cannot eliminate all the drug resistant strain and could provide a breeding ground for drug-resistant bacteria. So they must be given additional drug as so to eliminate the drug resistant microorganisms.

Widespread practice of feeding antibiotic to farm animals is further aggravating the problem. The evidence based on the comparative study of DNA sequence has shown that antibiotics resistant bacteria living in the gut of pigs, sheep and cows have passed their antibiotic-resistant gene to distantly related bacteria living in the mouth and gut of humans.

There are different ways of overcoming the drug resistance. The indiscriminate use of antibiotic where they are of no clinical value should be stopped i.e. using antibiotic in farm-animals to increase their weight must be stopped. The proper antibiotic must be used in correct dose to overcome the infection quickly, combination of antibiotics must be used in correct dose sometimes as in case of tuberculosis and attention should be given to those hospital units in which the problem of resistant is rampant and which is the most important source of spread to the general community.

Periodic changes of antibiotic used in treatment might also help to avoid the emergence of resistant strain by altering the selective pressure. The Hungarian National Institute of Public Health
proved that the use of non-B-lactam antibiotic for penicillian resistant pneumocci was able to decrease the resistance-strain percentage. So the best way is to use a different antibiotic when an organism give evidence of being resistance to initially used one. The use of new antibiotic like ceftriaxone in the
place of cephalosporine for gonorrhoea are effective and are supposed to decrease the resistant strain. So now the new antimicrobial compounds are being made, the oxazolidinones experiemental synthetic chemical unlike other antibiotic are throught to inhibit protein synthesis at very early stage such as the mRNA-tRNA-30S ribosomal interaction.

Recently another antimicrobial agent cyclic D-L-a-peptide which has already proved to be potent in vitro activity against Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Streptococcus pneumonieae and vacomycin-resistant Entercoccus faecalis is under study.

Private Tuition Mania

By Govinda Bhattarai

WHEN a large number of students, over two thirds, failed in this year’s SLC exams, everyone raised a voice of concern and expressed diatribe against the school education system. That was talk of the town for more than a month with extensive media coverage. But no one bothers about how many continue higher studies and get success in the university exams. In Tribhuvan University exams, ten per cent success is a remarkable result. The reason may be the feebly implemented system, but that is just an excuse to cover up the hidden vicious circle of problems. The country’s largest university has passed several tribulations and has so much to tell like a telltale heart.

The government has invested a large chunk of national budget, about 13 per cent, in the education sector, but the outcome is far below expectation. Amazing as it may seem, truth finds its way out. Nepal’s education system is mired into manifold troubles reciprocal to each other. Everyone throws the ball into others’ court disowning the responsibilities. The problems range from hiring teachers to conducting academic and administrative activities. The academic environment of what is otherwise called the ‘temple of education’ has been superimposed by the domineering shadow of politics.

The teacher selection procedure is so faulty that even those incompetent in their respective subjects find a passage through. This, however, does not mean that all of them lack the subjective knowledge. What it means is the majority of them have not been put to the test of fire, which is extremely necessary if they are to be truly qualified. There are several instances that such teachers have been rejected by the students, a shameful situation, but the authority keeps mum either due to political pressure or whatever may be the reason. Ultimately, students, and thus the country’s future, suffer. How can a nation improve its education system, no matter how much money it pours into it, unless it has competent teachers?

Equally responsible factor for the poor results is the student politics in colleges. Both large and small political parties use the immature minds as the surest weapons in propaganda politics that serves
their purposes. However,
the biggest factor is the declining trend of self-studies among the students. The majority of
them does not even touch their course books unless the exam timetable is published. Neither do they attend classes regularly. What has boggled the young minds is the misconception that it is no good attending classes, albeit for a few months.

The university classes hardly run for more than four months in the entire academic year. Even though the teachers take classes (of course, in the obsolete lecture method), hardly any students, except a few bonafide ones, have patience to listen to the lecture. And when it is too late, they are haunted by the thought of taking private tuition classes as which is in vogue today. Come exam season, students are seen running here and there in search of a private tuition centre and teachers huffing and puffing to cover as many classes as possible. Exam time, a season of income and anxiety! I am not against the practice that may benefit both the concerned parties. But what is disheartening to note is that if a teacher teaches at the college, that becomes cheap, not only in term of monetary value. (TU students get almost free education with a very negligible amount of tuition fees) But if the same teacher asks a monthly amount of what the students pay to the college in the whole year, they are ready to be robbed. What is this if not mania? Of course, it is.