Organized by: Inspire Youth Nepal

Project Overview:

Bagmati River holds both the religious and historical background in the heart of Kathmandu. It is the sacred and life-giving river of Kathmandu Valley. Sadly, it has suffered decades of pollution, encroachment and negligence in sanitation from the government level as well as from the local community level. In response, Inspire Youth Nepal has launched the Bagmati Sanitation campaign for the past 7 years. A monthly community initiative focused on cleaning, awareness and restoration of the Bagmati river and its surrounding is the ultimate moto of Inspire Youth Nepal.

Meanwhile, the purpose of the sanitation campaign is not only to maintain the cleanliness around the area. Somehow, we are also looking forward to creating the long-term project to instill a lasting sense of environmental responsibility among local residents, students and youth. With the coordination from the local government and local community, we have been working to install the water purification mechanism for its safety and to preserve the habitation around the river.

Our initiative is not only for the Bagmati Sanitation Campaign as it is the symbol of unity and togetherness to preserve our national heritage and water resources. Therefore, the campaign is also depicted as a collective action, environmental justice and a tribute to Nepal’s natural heritage.

Purpose of the Project:

✅ To restore the ecological health and sanctity of the Bagmati River by removing waste and preventing the area for the reducing further pollution.

✅To involve local communities, students, and volunteers in regular sanitation campaigns.

✅To raise awareness about proper waste management, water pollution, and environmental preservation.

✅To pressure local authorities and policymakers to take stricter action on urban waste dumping and industrial pollution specially linked in the Bagmati River.

✅ To cultivate a youth-led movement for environmental sustainability and civic engagement.

Project Scope & Focus Areas:

✅ Riverbank cleaning and garbage collection specially around the riverside area

✅ Drainage waste control (solid and plastic waste) coordinating with the local government

✅ Public awareness campaigns indicating the importance of the rivers

✅ Tree planting and protest against the random urbanization

✅ Collaboration with municipalities for waste removal support

✅ Mobilizing volunteers and providing them with cleaning tools, gloves, and safety gear

Implementation Details:

Frequency:

The Bagmati Sanitation Campaign is conducted once every month and volunteer mobilization system.

Key Locations Around the Bagmati River:

Location:         

✅Guheshwori Area

✅ Thapathali Bridge Area

✅Sundarighat

✅Teku Dobhan

✅Pashupatinath Corridor

✅ Balkhu & Kalimati

Key Project Activities:

1. Monthly Sanitation Campaigns

✅ We normally mobilize youth volunteers, students, and locals

✅ We provided training on waste segregation and safety

✅ We collect plastic, non-biodegradable, and organic waste using gloves, masks, and bags

✅ For collected waste, we hand over to Kathmandu Metropolitan for responsible disposal

2. Environmental Awareness Campaigns:

✅ Poster campaigns: “Clean Bagmati, Save Sanctity” / “Don’t Dump, Act Now!”

✅ Public announcements during weekends along river banks

✅ School and college sessions about waste, rivers, and climate change

3. Tree Plantation:

✅ We plant trees along Sundarighat and Guheshwori, the key areas and preservation work is also going on

✅ We partner with the Department of Forestry for native species selection

✅ We paint the walls of the riverside spreading the information not to dump waste around the area

4. Collaboration:

Worked alongside:

✅ Ward offices

✅ Metropolitan Environment Preservation Divisions

✅ Local clubs and community development organizations

✅ Joint monitoring with High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilization

Results & Achievements:

✅ Tons of waste removed from the river system so far

✅ 100+ volunteers mobilized across multiple zones

✅ 25+ awareness banners and posters displayed

✅ 30 trees planted with community support

✅ 5 schools engaged through environmental workshops

Conclusion:

The Bagmati Sanitation Campaign is the initiative regarding the movement to reclaim our natural heritage rather than just the clean up program. We have worked consistently and collaboratively as we know without hands on hand movement this campaign is not going to be successful. Till the date, we have created the positive impact and the positive message regarding the environmental change across the Bagmati Corridor.

We request you to join us for this campaign and make our natural heritage free from the encroachment and pollution.

Next Steps:

Launch of Eco-Volunteer Clubs in local schools and colleges

Partner with waste recycling companies for sustainable disposal

Organize a “Bagmati Marathon for Clean Water” to raise awareness

Set up monthly monitoring reports with photographic documentation for each campaign

Develop educational river tours for students and tourists