Clean Flowing Rivers: A Distant Dream for People Living in the Valley

The bus to Pokhara took a right into the driveway and stopped in front of a fine restaurant. The conductor announced, “just 20 minutes for lunch”. After sitting on the seat for four hours, I sprung up just like the spring flowers that bloom in the woods in early spring. I stretched my legs and got off the bus along with other fellow passengers.

My appetite was lost for I was captured by the view that surrounded me. The hills in the horizon were dotted with trees and as my eyes were scanning the natural beauty, they fell on the river that was winding along the riverbanks several meters below the hill on which I stood motionless. The water in the river were sparkling under the glimmers of the shining sun. It was for the first time, during my stay in Nepal, I was seeing water flowing in the river.

This is a rare scene for anyone who lives in Kathmandu. If you look at the map of Kathmandu city, it is a metropolis that is located in a valley surrounded by hills and drained by several river tributaries. The Bagmati River, famous for its associations with Goddess Ganga and Lord Pashupatinath orginiates in the Sundarijal protected watershed area in the north of Kathmandu valley. Numerous streams and monsoon- created runoffs generate the stream flow in Bagmati River and the valley basin ends at Chobar gorge.

This reminds of a study by Andrea N.C. Wolfe in 2000 to investigate the microbial drinking water quality problems in the Kathmandu valley. The study discovered the existence of high levels of microbial pollution in the Bagmati River. The non-existent waste water treatment system and lack of enforcement to punish polluters along with increasing urbanization and population are major contributors leading to this grim situation of this holy river. During the monsoon season, the runoffs from the streets including garbage, and fecal matters are washed into the rivers. Among several people, a misconception exists that the rain washes away all the garbage in the streets and cleanses everything. Little do they know that they all get washed into the river sources from where they obtain their water for cooking, cleaning and bathing. Most importantly, runoffs from the streets increase the water pollution and decrease its quality, increasing the risk of water-borne diseases.

I crossed the bridge in Ringroad, the circular road that connects different corners of the capital city and followed the Bishnumati River, one of the tributaries of Bagmati River. The road was dusty and wide enough to allow a truck to drive through. Along the river edges, hills of garbage were piled and a foul odor filled the air. Due to the monsoon rain, the water was higher than usual but the dark grey color of the water still lingered. 

Then I saw the most disturbing scene. 

A woman with her sari raised high above her knees was standing in the middle of the river, excavating sand and gravel that lay in the river bed. Nearby, children were playing oblivious to the pollution around them. The smoke from burning the garbage created a translucent blanket in the horizon filling the air along the river edge. Just in the corner, school children were playing in the school playround. I continued to follow the river. Men and women, adults and  children were scavenging through the garbage and collecting plastics and metals and filling up the cart that they pulled with the help of a bicycle. A young girl about six years old came up to me. Her hair was rough and the dress she wore was torn in several places and was dirty. She had abrasions in her face. I asked her if she went to school and she shook her head. She was reluctant to speak to me and she went away pulling the cart with two other children while a little boy about three years old sat on the cart. A curious young man came to talk to me. I asked him where he lived and he pointed to a tiny shack created out of tarp right along the side of the road. He told me that he came to live there with his family from the southern part of Nepal. These people depend on the garbage dumped along the river edge for their living but little do they know that everyday they are exposed to a hazardous environment detrimental to their health and well being thus shortening their life span.

It is ironic that the bridge connects places and offers convenience to some part of the population but it disconnects people who travel on the bridge from the lives of people who live beneath it. The water quality in both Bagmati and Bishnumati rivers is so poor that it is not even suitable for performing basic human functions let alone providing optimal habitat for aquatic life.

We are living in a critical time period in which we face environmental, political, economical and social challenges 

everyday. It is time for us to become aware of our actions to our environment and the impacts caused by destroying it. Clean water, air and soil are our basic necessities and our rights and it is our responsibility to maintain their quality not just for our generation but also for many generations ahead.