KATHMANDU, June 5: A decade ago, due to encroachment and excessive garbage pollution, a 14th century pond in Lalitpur dried out, virtually turning into a playground for local children. Nobody thought then that the drying up of the pond would have any impact on their daily lives, and locals continued to neglect the dried pond.
But after a couple of years, most households in the neighborhood started to suffer from acute water shortage. Wells and tube wells, which are the main source of water in the locality, were also drying up. “The wells had never dried up in that way before and the whole area was reeling under water shortage,” recounts Laxmi Maharjan, 48, who resides in the vicinity of Pim Bahal pond, adding that they had to purchase water to meet their daily needs.
It was only after the water scarcity hit them did the locals realize that their wells were drying up due to lack of groundwater recharge. “The pond had been recharging our groundwater. We realized our blunder in letting the pond dry up,” said Maharjan, who is coordinator of the Pim Bahal Pond Conservation Committee. The realization brought the locals together for pond conservation.
“This is an exceptional case in the Valley. Otherwise, a majority of the existing ponds, especially in Kathmandu and Lalitpur, are on the verge of drying up due to negligence by the authorities and local residents,” says Prakash Amatya, an environmentalist who has been advocating the conservation of traditional water resources in the Valley for the last 15 years.
A visitor takes a photo at the edge of Rani Pokhari in Kathmandu in this November 8, 2010 file photo. Water level in many ponds in the Valley has decreased due to rampant urbanization.(Bijay Rai/Republica)
There used to be altogether 51 historic ponds in Laliptur district alone. In course of time, as many as 18 of the ponds were completely encroached upon by human settlements. Now only 31 of the historic ponds are left in the district and even of these only 15 have any water in them and look like ponds. The rest have shrunk and turned into playgrounds for children, according to some studies.
In Kathmandu district also, there are 35 historic ponds on record, but only a handful of these have water in them.
The condition of ponds which still have any water is also no less deplorable. Because of damage to the royal canals that channel in the water, the ponds are solely dependent on rainwater, and the water level drops off sharply during the dry season.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City office buys water from private suppliers during every dry season for releasing into Rani Pokhari, the scenic pond in the heart of the capital.
“We have only a few ponds left and they are also on the verge of drying up as there is no alternative inflow other than rainwater,” he said.
In the past, water was supplied to the ponds through royal canals from places like Tika Bhairab and Rani Bari. However, due to rampant urbanization and so-called development activities, the royal canals became damaged and the water supply to the ponds stopped completely, except for rainwater.
Hari Ram Joshi, a Lalitpur native and expert on local culture, says various cultural and religious practices of the Newar community are also disappearing along with the destruction of the historic ponds.
For the Newar people, a pond is not just a reservoir. It has cultural and religious significance. For instance, Newars believed that their wishes will be fulfilled if they take seven steps in Lalitpur´s Prayag Pokhoo (or pond) and pray to the gods. But the pond is getting swallowed up by encroachment and along with it the cultural and religious practices of the locals, says Joshi. “There were so many ponds in the district with their cultural and religious role and they have already vanished,” he added.
Joshi further says that many of the ponds disappeared as their conservation was never a priority for the government.
“Ponds play a vital role in recharging ground water. If the ground water gets recharged, there will be abundant water in the wells and stone water spouts. Ponds, water spouts and other ground water resources are inter-linked. So, top priority should be given to pond conservation,” says Amatya, the environmentalist, adding that the locals also should come together to pile pressure on the authorities to conserve the Valley´s ponds.
Joshi for his part adds that as the origional water supply system for the ponds has already crumbled, the government should develop modern canals to feed them.