| dc.description.abstract | The Bagmati River found in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal is considered holy for many worshippers who practice Hinduism and Buddhism, nevertheless today the river presents itself as a degraded, trash-filled, polluted stream that meanders its way through both Kathmandu and Lalitpur. Over the past few decades many issues concerning Bagmati have arisen such as the industry of sand mining, squatters settlements, religious activities, and sewage dumping have all contributed to the degradation of the river.
While there has been a growth in social awareness campaigns and environmental conservation programs through different government and non-government institutions over the past decade, none have really made a significant impact. This is due to a lack of resources available and the lack of ideal ecological solutions that could be implemented within the riverscape. Previously, the Bagmati was seen as the landmark of the Kathmandu Valley, where people enjoyed doing activities besides its banks and swimming in its clean waters, but as the cities have developed, its image has been reduced to a wasteland where many citizens just pass by its bridges not daring to go near its murky black waters.
For this reason, it is important to explore ways in which different institutions that have developed programs in the past could form partnerships and collaborate with citizens and communities to guide the ecological restoration of the Bagmati River. This is done by presenting a restoration plan where the different ecological solutions researched are outlined and an analysis is made of the possible areas they could be implemented within the Bagmati River. Hence, the goal is to provide stakeholders with knowledge of which ecological solutions can be implemented within the Bagmati in order for them to work simultaneously with each other to accelerate the restoration process of the river. Ultimately forming a case study that could be further implemented in other highly polluted rivers found across the globe. | |
