KATHMANDU: The Bagmati Clean-up Campaign, launched 13 years ago with the slogan “Two hours of volunteer service for the nation every week,” has entered its 689th week of continuous operation.
As part of the latest campaign, volunteers conducted a clean-up drive along the banks of the Bagmati River in the Sinamangal area on Saturday. Around three metric tonnes of non-biodegradable waste were collected from the riverbank, campaigner Kishor Singh Shahi said.
According to Shahi, the collected waste was managed in coordination with the Environment Department of Kathmandu Metropolitan City at Teku.
The clean-up programme saw participation from Dr Anand Singh Bhat, Chairperson of the High-Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization, Megh Ale, Chairperson of the River Conservation Institution, officials from the Bagmati committee and regular campaign volunteers.
The Bagmati Clean-up Campaign has announced that the next weekly clean-up drive will be held on August 1 at the Bagmati River section below the Guhyeshwari Water Treatment Centre.
The campaign began on May 19, 2013, and has continued every Saturday without interruption. Organisers said the weekly activities have continued despite challenges such as rainfall, extreme weather conditions, earthquakes, the COVID-19 pandemic and major festivals including Dashain and Tihar.
Inspired by the Bagmati initiative, similar river and sanitation campaigns have expanded across the Kathmandu Valley, including efforts to clean tributaries of the Bagmati River.
Clean-up campaigns have also spread to major cities and river civilisation areas outside the Valley. Currently, weekly Saturday cleaning drives are being conducted at more than 108 locations across the country.
The Bagmati Clean-up Campaign has played a significant role in raising public awareness about environmental protection and waste management throughout Nepal.
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