Govt bid to keep rivers clean

KATHMANDU: The government is preparing a policy to make every household based on both sides of the rivers in the Kathmandu Valley to construct septic tanks and to treat waste before discharging it into the sewerage system.

The new provision will be enforced for residential buildings and business enterprises located on the banks of Dhobi Khola and Bagmati and Bishnumati Rivers.

The Ministry of Urban Development said it was doing groundwork to make it mandatory for every house owner to construct septic tanks and to refine liquid waste before discharging it into the river to control environmental pollution. The ministry is coordinating with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development and Kathmandu Metropolitan City to make legal and structural provisions to punish violators with fines on a monthly basis if they are found releasing sewage directly into the river systems.

The provision will be part of the Kathmandu Valley Broader Cleanliness Campaign, said officials at the MoUD. A recent meeting held under Chief Secretary Leela Mani Poudyal had discussed the issues with stakeholders to come up with the new policy. 

The government has also decided to start construction of sewerage on both sides of the rivers from the new fiscal year 2014-15. 

The MoUD is all set to designate officials for the construction and monitoring of the sewerage. 

“Any house owner and business enterprise on the river banks will be liable to stringent action if they fail to construct septic tanks and treat waste before dumping into the river. The names of violators will be made public to put moral pressure on others,” an official at the MoUD informed. 

The government is also making preparations to form Tole Sudhar Samiti from among the people living on both sides of the rivers to mobilise local communities to abide by sanitation measures and to help take action against persons or firms littering the rivers.

Go to top