Saving the Bagmati

Kathmandu,Nepal

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing water as a human right and , the 10th Bagmati River Festival will wrap up with the incongruous sight of a human flotilla on rafts, parading alongside the daily flotilla of garbage. And among the spectators will be those who have made the riverbanks their home and ironically, are among the furthest from realizing their right to clean water and sanitation. Although little has been said publicly, these informal settlers, or squatters as they are called, are surrounded by controversy; situated alongside one of the most powerful cultural and religious symbols of Kathmandu and the darling of environmental donors, the Bagmati River, and on a very precious commodity – vacant land.

The banks of the Bagmati are not prime residential areas – observers say that if not for Kathmandu’s daily pumping of effluent in the form of sewage, industrial and solid waste into the river, there would be barely any water there at all. So great is Kathmandu’s thirst for water, that we have practically drunk the river dry at its source, leaving the riverbed an open sewer.

The woes of the Bagmati are just the visible effects of a water table that is shrinking faster than it can be replenished. The river’s strong stench is the superficial reminder to those living there of the health hazards posed by this cesspool – especially during monsoon. Much of the Bagmati watershed and its tributaries in the Kathmandu valley are an ‘urban commons’ plundered for sand to feed an insatiable construction craze, and an unlicensed dumping ground and shelter for the homeless.

Alongside the dumping grounds and the sewage outflow pipes on the riverbanks sit human settlements. As a result of rising costs – including annual inflationary food costs of 18.1 percent – many poor and disadvantaged households are faced with the dilemma whether to feed their families or pay the rent. These communities have different histories – from those refugees who have been here for decades, to newcomers who set up their blue tarps next to the Thapathali bridge three years ago, to the families who have occupied temple buildings, some for a few days and others generations. The causes are different – floods, civil war, family divides, but they tell common stories of landlessness, homelessness and displacement. Bricks and mud have taken the place of plastic and cardboard over the years, and some communities have successfully advocated for schools, electricity, sanitation and water. But many live without these basic services, in violation of their human rights.

Some see these settlements as ‘encroachments’. Technically speaking, much of this is public land, 10 meters from the river, owned and controlled by the government. The various riverside sacred shrines, ghats and temples are also the property of various Gutthi’s, many also under government administration. Here, by the banks of the Bagmati, is ample evidence of the vacuum left by a dysfunctional central government.

Despite evidence that shows per capita income of less than $1 per day, accusations have also been leveled against those living in informal settlements: That they are not poor, that they are advancing political interests, and that they can ‘go back to their village.’ It is ironic, of course, that what we don’t hear is that the sewage and other waste in and around the river adjacent to these settlements originates almost entirely from Kathmandu households who can afford their own housing.

The underground struggle to oust the squatters has made some strange bedfellows as erstwhile ‘environmentalists’ join advocates for the building of a new roadway along the banks of the Bagmati - not exactly the recipe for the ‘greening’ of Kathmandu. And the finger is frequently pointed at the squatters, among the poorest of the poor, some of whom risk their health and liberty for a few rupees per doko, for degrading the river by digging for sand despite the well-organized and intensive sand mining operations taking place upriver, not to mention the role of the real estate developers who buy the sand.

Courts, government, INGO’s and environmentalists have all proposed solutions to stop the degradation of the Bagmati, so vital to the health and wellbeing of the Kathmandu valley. While the people who make the Bagmati their home are strangely absent from these calculations, their engagement and participation may hold the key to any ‘green’ solution.

Many of these informal communities are carving out green spaces, which they carefully cultivate for food. In doing so, they create spaces free from garbage, dumping and refuse. Sustaining a community of responsible land use alongside the Bagmati would nurture a rare commodity; a common green space in a densely packed city core. It presents opportunities for urban dwellers to grow their own food, especially those who cannot afford healthy food for their families. By supporting people who live there to cultivate and care for the land, you encourage responsible governance of a common resource and prevent the current wanton dumping of garbage.

Community gardens are rapidly being seen as the answer to food insecurity, environmental problems and lack of green space. It represents a ‘made in Nepal’ solution and fits within the Nepali culture in the way that Western style parks – a modern invention – do not, as seen in the dilapidated condition of the parks around Kathmandu, including the Bagmati’s own ‘UN Park’.

Unfortunately, not everyone gets the idea of a community garden. Informal settlements alongside the river fight a losing battle against those who resent their use of the land. Six months ago, a vibrant community garden near the Jagat Narayan temple was bulldozed under the watchful eyes of the Armed Police Force, without any offer of compensation to those who lost their crops. The bulldozer was paid for by a local community group whose members have come together to ‘save the Bagmati’ but, so far, have a vacant field and hundreds of meters of concrete posts and barbed wire to show for their efforts. Meanwhile, in addition to being homeless, and without clean water or sanitation, those living nearby will have no crops to harvest this Fall, thanks to the efforts of their neighbours to exclude them from the land, as power and money dominate in the absence of government. On the other hand, basics like toilets, clean water, and community gardens would help to make the greening of Kathmandu a reality.

Source: CLAIRE MCNEIL , myrepublica.com