Scientific Insights: Is Bagmati really improving??

Bagmati Clean-up Campaign is on progress since May, 2013 uniting civilians , government authorities and activists to come together to save degrading Bagmati river and its tributaries. The weekly campaign has extracted significant volume wastes from river and has pressurized authorities to come together to solve crosscutting issues on sewerage treatment and river improvement. The campaign is more than three years old and river restoration activities are on progress since then. From this background, many of us feel a question,  "Is Bagmati river water quality improving along with Bagmati Clean Up Campaign??" 

Extracting wastes from Bagmati river(credit: nepalmountainnews)

Campaigners on 192nd week in Bhatkekopool
( credit:Lok Bdr Tandan)

cleaning at Rudramati (Credit: Nirmla KC)

Considering Water quality data from High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of Bagmati river on Dissolved Oxygen, Biological Oxygen Demand(BOD), and Chemical Oxygen Demand, I have tried to analyze BOD in Gokarna and Minbhawan over three years. The samples were collected in same month( Mangsir) in all three years and were analysed following same method. The BOD parameter is widely used to monitor level of organic pollutants in water bodies. Scientifically, it is the amount of oxygen required by aerobic microorganisms to break down organic material in water and a BOD value higher than 2 to 5 mg/l in given water sample is considered polluted river.
 Gokarna

Bagmati Clean Up Campaign and BOD(mg/l)  in  2071, 2072 and 2073 in Gokarna

As shown by decreasing values of BOD over three consecutive years at Gokarna and negative slope of trendline in above graph,  it can be inferred that the organic load in water is decreasing indicating improvement. This certainly allows us to believe Bagmati Clean Up has positive impact in river water quality and this river section can be as pristine as it was before along with continuation of the campaign.
Gokarna section arrives when the river gets out of Shivapuri National Park and gets into human settlement. The river in this stretch receives natural and non natural pollutants. Despite of natural sources of organic material like decaying aquatic organisms and plants, this river stretch being associated with all rituals and life and death culture of Hindu civilization, offering prayers to almighty, cleaning of temples by roadside and cremation cultures input pollutant make this river section.

Peoples connection and Rituals in river bank at Gokarna( credits: picture links in reference below)

Minbhawan

Bagmati Clean Up Campaign and water quality changes in Minbhawan

The BOD values in Minbhawan over three consecutive years 2071, 2072 and 2073 shows decreasing trendline indicating reduction in organic load in water (which is major cause of Bagmati Pollution). The pollutant load was highest(175mg/l) in 2071, and has decreased by 50% (80mg/l) in 2073. The decrease percent is pretty convincing about positive impact of Bagmati Clean Up campaign on water quality.
However, we cannot infer the river as "cleaned" from above analysis because BOD values should be within 5mg/l  to be clean and we have more than 10 times of BOD which is indicator of grave pollution. 
Minbhawan river section lies in core Kathmandu city area and is without life and is merely an open sewage. 

 Minbhawan river section in background (Sujata Karki sampling water at Minbhawan for laboratory analysis)

From this comparision of BOD over 2071, 2072 and 2073, we can infer that organic pollutant load is decreasing in the river water. This should be attributed to ongoing Bagmati Cleaning Campaign and this certainly provides scientific insight and a hope that Bagmati river improvement is on way and it will be achieved.

Jay Bagmati!!

 Picture Sources:

http://www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com/Nepal%20-%20Kathmandu/Best/
http://www.gettyimages.no/detail/photo/temple-guardian-performing-puja-by-the-high-res-stock-photography/148631186
http://www.nepalmountainnews.com/cms/archives/92147

Bagmati Clean Up Campaign : Polluters and punishment!

Bagmati clean Up campaign is in its 191st week and enthusiastic volunteers  have collected over hundreds of tonnes of trashes from Bagmati river and its tributaries. The river is pretty trash-free and upgraded aesthetically however organic load is still the same and stinky. The campaign has occured every Saturdays over two years and is waiting hard to see cleaner Bagmati.

 As a part of river rehabilitation, disposal of stuffs in or beside at river bank is prohibited. Five people dumping in river in Tilganga were arrested by police and charged 5000 rupees each for fine. The guilties were workers from Annapurna Sweet shop in Gaushala, Arun Glass house, Local Chicken store and Shiva Shanker hotel. Here question comes: who are real polluters and how much fine for the action? A handful of poorly mannered civilians deserved to be fined and what about those who discharge raw untreated sewage in river without treating it? What about those polluters who are toxifying river water and killing fishes and invertebrates and ecosystem??

Swerege added in river at Tilganga

Sewerage added in river at Jorpati

Who is polluting?

The guilty man disposing in the river( source: Kathmandu post)

Bagmati river along with its tributaries is sustaining over 2.5 million people in Kathmandu Valley. The river has been used extensively to irrigate, pump water for drinking purpose, construction and many more. The river with glorious fauna and biodiversity and holiness took few decades to be dark stinky and dead with the urbanisation and accelerated population growth of Kathmandu valley. The river is immensely associated with peoples religious beliefs and day to day life. Therefore, the rehabilitaion of the river is important for survival of Kathmandu valley aesthetically and spritually.

A man releasing his dead wifes spirit in the river according to Hindu Tradition.

References

http://thehimalayantimes.com/kathmandu/5-arrested-for-disposing-waste-in-bagmati-river/
http://www.myrepublica.com/news/12671

Picture sources
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154121634751859&set=a.10154118419926859.1073741893.668126858&type=3&theater

The human chain badged the 100th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

"We would keep the Bagmati clean,”

 “We would not dump garbage in the Bagmati” 

“We would not allow anyone to defile the Bagmati”

The slogans reverberated at the 100th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign all over banks of Bagmati river this saturday. The day is marked by forming human chain along 28^th Km stretch of the river from Gokarna to Chovar where volunteers stood in long human chain to show their unity to improve the river environment. The human Chain along river  symbolically represents prohibiting polluters from reaching the river.

Aerial view of  the human chain at the 100th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

The aerial view of Human Chain at Sundarijal

Local Newari women in Traditional dresses showing their solidarity to the Cleaning Campaign at Gusingal

Over 2,20,000 people from all walks of life including marked politicians, bureaucrats, artists, scholars, students, civilians and business community took part in the human chain to show their solidarity to preserve the degraded river.They sang the National Anthem and took oath to keep the river clean.

Bankers at the campaign( Cresit: LP. Bhanu Sharma)

Bagmati Clean Up Campaign has been a unique Clean Up drive with massive public involvement. Participation of volunteers from all backgrounds has made the campaign socio-environmental cause to preserve the glorious river. 

The government and organisers have made special transportation arrangements for people willing to participate in the event from 5:30am-7am. The buses with the banner reading ‘Bagmati Cleaning Mega Campaign (100th Week)’ picked up those who want to participate in the cleaning from Kalanki, Ekantakuna, Satdobato, Lagankhel, Ratna Park, Swoyambhu, Balaju, Gongabu, Narayan Gopal Chowk, Surya Binayak, Duwakot, Sankhu and dropped them near the banks of the holy river in Balkhu, Tripureshwor/Thapathali, Shantinagar/Tilganga, Gaurighat/Narayantar, Attarkhel/Gokarna and Sundarijal.

The participating mob before UN park at Thapathali

Although the campaign is at morning time, excitement could be felt in the volunteers with the sincerity in the dresses, the music and the hospitality. Each volunteers could be seen smiling and welcoming each other to join the chain.The Love for river could be seen in the volunteers. 

Traditional Newari Music to hearten the Campaign at Teku

Group Photoes: Proud moments  at 100th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

Drinking Water  for the volunteers

Not only the participating volunteers, the clean up mob attracted interests of those who have indeed significant roles to reduce the pollutant loads at the lap of the Bagmati. A women has undeniable roles in managing shaping and organizing a family. Since the major source of pollutant of the Bagmati river is the household wastes, inspiring women to manage household wastes by reduce, reuse and recycle can help reduce the wastes at the source and hence meet the campaign motive.

Local women watching the clean up mob at Gusingal

The Historic clean Up Drive will be at new episode at the 101th clean up drive next week!

JAY BAGMATI!!

99th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

The 99th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign was observed at Sundarighat, Kirtipur. The campaign was accomplished in active involvement of over 800 volunteers and 45 metric tonnes of solid scarps was collected at the event.

The Cleaning mob at 99th Bagmati Clean Up Camapign

Women picking scarps at 99th Clean Up Campaign

Sundarighat lies after the confluence of Balkhu river in Bgmati river. The station is also known as local dumping site of Kirtipur and local waste from Kirtipur area was dumped in the area. After few regular weeks of the campaign in the place, the river bosom at this stretch is visually clean, with no scarps and rotten rags around. This has made the river reach aesthetically better.

 a) Before the campaign                                                               b) After the campaign
Sundarighat

The 99th BCCampaign was accomplished in active involvement of Scholars, bureaucrats, Civil servants, Civil Society, Students and motivated individuals. Some organisations have prepared flex printed charts with which volunyteers visit regularly. The banners hunged on nearby walls. 

Banners of participating organisatons

Scholars and bureaucrats could be seen in the place. Humphrey Fellows were seen posing for photographs with their banners. The Humphrey Fellowship is provided by United States Education Foundation.

Members of Nepal Association of Humphrey Fellows at Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

Volunters from Radhaswati Satsang Byas supplemented the campaign offering Tea and Biscuits to participants in the campaign. Around 800 cups of tea was offered. The organisation has been feeding the volunteers since few weeks on a regular basis. Volunteers sipped tea and biscuits after the campaign.

Volunteers from Radhaswati satsang Byas Nepal preparing for  snacks for volunteers in Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

Alike in previous campaigns, volunteers from Mahendra Narayan Nidhi Memorial Hospital were present for medical Support. They help volunteers with minor cuts and bruises and if in case of major bruise, they carry then to hospial for further treatment.

The medical team at 99th Bagmati Clean Up Camapaign

Jeevan Vigyan is one of the founder organisations of the campaign. The organisation has important role to help Bagmati Clean Up Camapign come to this day. The 99th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign was also watered by the organisation. Volunteers refreshed thirsty participants by offering water.

Volunteers from Jeevan Bigyan offering water to campaigners at Bagmati Clean Up Camapign

Volunteers from Jeevan Bigyan offering water at 99th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign( Photo Source: Nirmala KC)

The 99th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

The Bagmati Clean Up Campaign has gone on a long way through and the 100th episode is celebration for all those people who want to save the degrading Bagmati River. For the 100th episode, it is estimated that 80,000 participants will be mobilized from headwaters to downstream. The river section has been divided into 7 stretches from Sundarijal to Chovar. Coordinators have been selected for each section. Volunteers can go to any convenient river reach  for helping clean the degraded river. 
The river sections and respective coordinators as shown by HPCIDBC are shown below: 

Stretch	Coordinator
Sundarijal to Gokarna	Ramesh Simkhada and Janardan Khadka
Gokarna- Jambodada	Shree Narayan Gopal Malego
Jambodanda Tilganga- Stretch	Narayan Prasad Regmi
Tilganga- Manohara Dovan Stretch	Shantiram Subedi and Lilamani Poudel
Manohara Dovan	Yet to be confirmed
Thapathali- Balkhu	Yet to be confirmed
Balkhu Chovar strech	Yet to be confirmed

Hoping seeing you all at the campaign

Jay Bagmati

90th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

आइले नगरे कहिले गर्ने ?

हामीले नगरे कसले गर्ने?

The 90th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign was accomplished at Balkhu near Falful Bazaar.The place has faced several campaigns before and local peple confess that the garbage heaps at the river bank has significantly reduced.

As in earlier campaigns, the 90th Cleaning Campaign occurred in great excitement. There was active involvemen of volunteers from Nepal Telecom, Environmental department, Sangam Sweets, Gayatri Sweets, Jivan Bigyan, Reyukai Nepal and many more.

The Campaign had active involvement of Nepal Telecom in its 11th anniversary. Nepal Telecom offered tea and biscuits to all the participants. The Saturday morning was good time to clean the holy river, enjoy sunbath and chat with like minded people.

Th crusade collected 48 tonnes of scarps this week.

Bishnumati river: The abused Tributary of Bagmati river

“The gods live near forests, rivers,mountains and springs, and in the towns where there are trees and gardens”. 

– Brihatsamhita

Bishnumati river at Bode Muhan(Photo Credit: Bisal Jibi Ghimire)

Bishnumati river originates from Bishnu-Dwar at Tarevir within  Shivapuri foothills. The river length is 15.2 km and has an catchment area of 109.3km2. It drains the catchment with tribitaries such as Sapanatirtha Khola, Rudramati, Sangle Khola, Lhora Khola and Binap fall. The river provides water for drinking, irrigation and supports vast ecological functions that has maintained the ecological balance of the region. The ever flowing local taps and swaying crops at fields indicates rich ecological balance of the region.

Ever flowing water in taps at Bhode( Photo Credit: Bisal Jibi Ghimire)

As the river flows downstream, the river shares similar story as other tributaries of Bagmati river.The river roars as it flows  at headwaters which eventually slows and stops downstream with increasing magnitude of human influences.The river is pristine at Bode Muhan and degrades gradually as it flows through Tokha. The river catchment changes to built up area from Chandeswori of Tokha and downstream.

Bishnumati river suffers from water loss and excavation of river bed materials.The river water has been pumped for construction, drinking water and many more.By the time the river reaches Balaju, it silently creeps accepting all the wastes left over at its bosom.The river water gets excessively strained with pollutants after it crosses Balaju Industrial area. The Dissolved Oxygen level at Bode Muhan is 10mg/l which drops to 0.56mg/l at Balaju. The water clarity gets darker and thicker. No aquatic lives are visible which manifests that the river water is toxic and hence is unable to support life.

Bishnumati river at Balaju

Bishnumati river, similar to Bagmati river, posses incredible historical and cultural importance. It possess a number of historically and culturally important places. It resides important shrines such as Shova Bhagawati, Indrayani and Kankeshwori at its bank. Devotees still go at the river, although stinging, to take holy dip in river, mainly at festivals  to fulfill their ritual urge.

Bishnumati river faces extensive encroachment and solid wastes since last 30 years. The fertile floodplains have been intruded for human settlements. The river flow has been instructed at its path. Stone barriers have been made  throughout its length to train it to flow at artificial orientation. Nevertheless, the river water has been purlioned. It has been pumped and piped for water use to people.

Bishnumati river confluence with Bagmati

At August 2012, Bishnumati Action plan has been prepared by Kathmandu Metropolitan City to revitalize the river. It divides the river into 6 segments and proposes suitable development plans. Similar to Bagmati Action Plan, the plan divides the river basin in Core Natural conservation zone, Rural zone, Peri Urban zone and Urban zone and proposes suitable measures to revitalize it according to the level of deterioration.

Bishnumati river as invisaged by Bishnumati action Plan

The highlights of the plan includes prohibition of direct drainage into river,beautification of the river with plantations and  roads on both sides and a cycle track along the river. It envisages to construct treatment plants to treat the waste water before it gets into the river.
Although the river improvement plan has been prepared, there is long way to actually enforce it. The abused Bishnumati river awaits the enforcement of the plan and restoration of its past glory.

Acknwledgement
Bishnumati Action Plan
Bishal Jibi Ghimire
Niranjan Shrestha

88th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign at Balkhu

 वो कच्रे वाले नही सफाई वाले हैं

Larger sway and louder clapping was heard when Dr. Raju Adhikari pronounced that the people who collect scarps are the  actual cleaners. He pointed out that we call people collecting scarps from our houses as filthy people 'कच्रेवाले' but we throw wastes everywhere and believe that we are polished 'सफाईवाले' . He made point that we are the dirtmakers 'कच्रेवाले' and they are the  cleaners 'सफाईवाले' because we produce dirt and they clean it. The hilarious comment helped raising enthusiasm and pride to be part of the good job at Balkhu this Saturday. His message  indicated respect to all the good jobs although labelled lower level.

The Bagmati Clean Up Campaign, at its 88th week was marked by cohorted and organized efforts of volunteers to clean up the holy river.  The Campaign took place in active participation of over 1200 participants and removed 43 tonnes of abandoned scarps from the river bosom at Balkhu.

The cleaning mob at 88th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign

The Campaign experienced the use of excavators for the first time. It was used to dig up piled heaps at the river banks. On going through crisp recap of the river stretch few years back, the stretch has been used as a dumping site for over 10 years. The place was used as transitional landfill site and it vored almost all wastes of the valley. This is the reason why, campaigners experience the more of the pulling, the more of the scarps. This neverending vicious has been due to the fact that the place has scarps layered upto 10 meters. The settlement of Sukumbasi at the river bank has made the river accept polltion loads encroachment of its floodplain from the squatters.

Crusader Ram Shah showing his hands in pride

The campaigners were systematically divided into groups to clean specified area. Well known public figures were as Leaders in each of  the groups. They facilated to mobilize the  motivated manpower systematically. Crusaders Lilamani Poudel and Kishor Thapa went inside the river and were leading volunteers to collect wet  leftovers from the river. They formed long chain of volunteers to pass scarps from one hand to another and eventually to waste collection vehicle.They wore boots and thick gloves to be safe and dry from the intervention.

Crusaders Lilamani Poudel and Kishor Thapa
 helping bring abandoned wastes from river
( Photo courtesy: Shristi Vaidhya

Anchors could be seen motivate mob to carry on to their work and collect as more they could. He played few musical clips from time to time. It was visible that the entertainment raised energy and further motivation.

Dr. Raju Achoring and motivating the crowd

The presence of medical volunteers has eased the Campaigners. Any wounded if in case will be proximity to first aid treatment. Bagmati clean Up Campaign at the 88th week had the volunteering of Hospital staffs from Mahendra Manjari hospital to provide primary first aid treatment to those who accidentally get cuts and scratches.

Medical Volunteers to help the wounded campaigners

The Campaign can be marked being successful in collecting local interest to restore the river. Each week local organisations can be observed working to the campaign motive of restoring the river.  At Balkhu also, The fruit and vegetable seller Union developed a banner. They showed teamwork and collected the wastes to clean their own territory.

Local group to clean the river

The 88th Bagmati Clean Up Campaign was successful and Chief Campaigner Lilamani Poudel has indicated that the campaign will follow in the same place for upcoming two weeks.

                                          जय बाग्मती