Water pollution is defined as degradation of water quality due to mixing of unwanted substances and chemicals with water. Production of wastewater is increasing day by day due to industrial production, commercial activities, and overpopulation in urban areas. Most wastewaters are mixed directly with natural water resources without proper treatment and gradually degrade the quality of water in developing nations. Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal. Bagmati river is one of the sacred and holiest places which is located in Kathmandu, Nepal. It flows along with Pashupatinath temple which is a world heritage site and holds religious value. Thousand of Hindu pilgrims perform bathing as a ritual activity in the river. Bagmati river has significance for providing irrigation water, drinking water, recreation, and religious importance but Human activities deteriorate the beauty of the river. The sewage system of Kathmandu collects domestic sewage, runoff water, industrial water in the same pipe. Mixing untreated water with natural water resources causes water pollution to become a serious issue and hazardous during the drier period. Bacterial contamination, metal toxicity, and lower dissolved oxygen are the major problems of water quality in the Bagmati river. Water pollution become one of the challenges to achieving sustainable development goals in urban areas of our country. Here are the major causes of Bagmati river pollution

1) Haphazard expansion of infrastructure in an urban area

2) lack of proper rules and regulation

3) lack of efficient and proper water treatment system

Several measures and programs are implemented by different organizations and government officials to control pollution.  Kathmandu valley wastewater management is purposed by the government of Nepal to improve wastewater services, modernization, and construction of new wastewater treatment plans.

Different initiatives to mitigate pollution of the Bagmati river

1) The Bagmati River Basin improvement project

The government of Nepal has initiated these projects in 2 phases. 1^st phase was implemented from May 2014 to May 2019. 2^nd phase of the project was implemented from December 2019 to November 2024. This project is mainly concerned to establish a system and capacity for integrated and participatory river basis management.

2) Bagmati river cleanup campaign

This campaign was initiated in may 2013. It is a completely voluntary and social initiative. A volunteer collects solid waste from river bank of the bagmati river. This campaign was supported by the government of Nepal, INGOS, Nepal Army, Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

3) Pasupathi area development trust

This trust was established in 1990 to conserve and manage the Pashupathinath temple and its surroundings. It focuses to mitigate the effect of urbanization, commercialization, and unplanned construction around the temple.

4) National trust for natural conservation

The trust was established in 1982 which formulate the Bagmati Action Plan in 2008 and aims to restore the natural beauty of Bagmati

5) Friends of Bagmati

It was established in 2000 to create awareness and conduct a cleanup campaign

6) Nepal river conservation trust organizes the Bagmati river festival and another annual river festival to raise awareness and promote environmental sustainability.

Reference

ADDIN Mendeley Bibliography CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Paudel, Arjun. 2003. “Environmental Management of the Bagmati River Basin.” UNEP EIA Training Resource Manual:Case studies from developing countries: 269–79.