KATHMANDU: A new technology will be introduced in the Bagmati River, nearby the revered Pashupatinath temple, in a bid to clean the holy river.

Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) is introducing the bio-toilet technology for cleaning the Bagmati River in collaboration with the Bagmati Civilisation Integrated Development Committee (BCIDC).

The aim is also to increase water flow in the river by ridding it of garbage. The drainage from toilets would be processed and only water would be discharged by using the bio-toilet technology at Pashupati area.

PADT says this technology would be used to purify the water in the Bagmati River in the stretch from Guheshwari to Tilganga.

PADT Member-Secretary, Dr Pradip Dhakal said they are conducting a feasibility study to check the efficacy of the new technology.

Although works had been started for purifying the river water that flows on this stretch some 24 years ago by establishing the result has not been desirable.

PADT stated that works on this project would be started once the feasibility study team submits its report.
Bagmati Clean Up Mega Campaign was started on May 19, 2013 with the initial objective of making the water in the Bagmati river up to Pashupati area fit for bathing purpose.
In the course of the campaign, river cleaning has been carried out on various stretches of the river.

The river and its catchment area are cleaned to some extent but due to discharge of drains in the upstream areas, the river gets polluted to the extent that it cannot sustain marine life.

Thirty-seven metric tons of waste from the river area was collected today in the course of cleaning up works carried out in the rivers and various places along the Ring Road area in the Kathmandu valley today.