Bini Dahal

Do you have proper access to pure drinking water?” To this question, you will most probably start talking about the water scarcity that the Kathmandu Valley is facing. Also, you may start explaining the various measures you are following just not to get killed by the so-called drinking water you receive. Everyone has the same dream. We at least once want to drink water from Melamchi and ignore the fact that we have destroyed major water sources with our own hands.
The Bagmati River that flows through the Kathmandu Valley has suffered from unwanted human interferences. Sewage pipes from every alley and road have been connected to this ‘holy’ river. However, the government has a plan to restore the river by managing the sewerage system. But there are some people of cheap mentality who tend to throw rubbish into the river. Rubbish collecting firms and individuals have also a wrong tendency of dumping all the collected waste on the banks of rivers.
To minimise the effects of pollutants on the Bagmati River, the government first launched a clean-up campaign in 2013. The drive was considered to be a success when the once the muddy water slowly cleaner and when small fishes started to be noticed in the river. It was all possible by the joint efforts of the government and the city dwellers. Since there was a huge public participation in the campaign initially, the Bagmati River gradually turned back to its original state.
However, the clean-up campaign has not been so effective. There were reports about the absence of fishes in the river at Guheshwori area. They were on the verge of extinction due to lack of oxygen in the water.
Kathmandu is the most populated city in Nepal. The metropolis is already home to more than 1.2 million people and the number is increasing. Due to this reason, any kind of weekly clean-up campaign may not be adequate to bring about significant change. The government and people must join hands to curb pollution in water sources by building and maintaining an efficient river-friendly sewerage system.
Besides, CCTVs must be installed around the banks of the Bagmati and other rivers in the valley to check undesirable activities like throwing away garbage. These are some of the very small steps that people will follow and the authorities concerned should monitor such activities strictly. The government must begin taking some very big steps for protecting rivers in and around Kathmandu. There should be laws in place to make disposing wastes in public places illegal.
Besides, there are technologies like interceptors which can be used to remove plastic wastes from the rivers. Microbial Bioremediation is another method that can be useful in cleaning rivers. With this process, contaminated matters such as water, soil and surface materials can be treated through altering environmental conditions to stimulate growth of micro-organisms and degrade the target pollutants. If this method is applied, the river pollution can be reduced significantly.
There are many techniques and technologies yet to be discovered and implemented for cleaning up water sources in many of the countries around the globe. Since human interference is the main reason behind the excessive pollution, we must give our 100 per cent on cleaning the rivers and reusing waters.