Bagmati Clean-Up Campaign continues during Dashain, over one metric tonnes of waste scooped

KATHMANDU: The Bagmati Clean-Up Campaign that entered 490th week continued today as well, the sixth day of the Dashain festival.

The campaigners and volunteers who assembled at Bagmati Bridge in Buddhanagar Area in Kathmandu today morning collected and managed around one metric tonnes of non-biodegradable waste, informed Kishore Singh Shahi, one of the Clean-Up campaigners.

The campaign started on May 19, 2013 with the slogan ‘Two hours a week of volunteerism for the nation’.

The drive continues regardless of festivals and any weather conditions.

Present in today’s clean-up drive were former Chief Secretary Leela Mani Paudyal, also one of the key campaigners of Bagmati Clean-Up Campaign, Chairperson of the High-Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization Uddhav Prasad Timalsina, newly appointed project chief Subash Basnet, officials of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, locals and volunteers among others.

Saplings were planted alongside the Bagmati River on the occasion of birthday of Chakra Bahadur Chand, one of the Bagmati Clean-Up Campaigners.

Next Saturday, the campaigners are planning to clean up the area adjacent to the United Nations Park in Buddhanagar. The clean-up drive in and around the Bagmati River has inspired many similar clean-up drives in heritage sites, tributaries and Ring Road in the Kathmandu Valley.

Over 109 places outside of the Kathmandu Valley are cleaned on a regular basis at present. While over 25 places within the Valley are cleaned regularly, it was shared.