In Kathmandu, the Bagmati River flows all around the city. It used to be considered the lifeline.
I followed the river in Kathmandu valley and saw the change in its life as well as its use and negligence. I saw people doing their rituals near the river. I saw people farming beside the river, avoiding the polluted water. People take their domestic animals to the riverside, making no contact with the water. I also saw people passing their time beside the river, people collecting trash and people trying fishing. The things I saw, I saw them from a distance.
The consequences of the pollution are far-reaching. Once alive, it’s choked with waste. People revere it with rituals, a memory of its clean past. Now, the water’s too dirty to touch. The river whispers for help, hoping its story isn’t lost forever. The water is unsafe for drinking, bathing, or irrigation, impacting the health of the people who depend on it. The aquatic life has suffered immensely, and the river’s cultural significance as a sacred site has been under threat.
