Medicosnext
Presently, Kathmandu, a cultural city with a proud history, is wounded and has been made sick and ailing. It has been torn at and hurt badly. Additionally, it has been subject to insufferable injustice. Kathmandu is now in the ICU.
There are reasons behind this. For 30 years, it was governed by leaders of political parties who divided it among themselves for the purpose of acquiring ill-gotten gains. They closed their eyes to the service and security of the city dwellers. Environmental degradation has further added to Kathmandu’s wounds. Any talk about health gives immediate rise to the subject of the respiratory system. There has been a decline in the oxygen that we get for free from the environment. The lungs of the city dwellers are filled with harmful substances due to the noxious smoke, dust, and other toxic materials that are presently contaminating the oxygen. Kathmandu has been made ill due to this toxicity in the air. It is essential to make the environment clean in order to clean the lungs of the city and its citizens.
I believe that some reasons behind this are: unsupervised construction sites, constructions done without following standard procedures, unnecessary constructions, and roads and pavements waiting to be repaired and maintained. It is a crime to prevent water from entering into the earth’s soil, and prevent seedlings from growing by unnecessary blockages and obstructions. Now, only Tundikhel is left to be blocked, the Khulla Manch is already a victim, where neither water can gain entry, nor can grass grow on it. Much of Kathmandu’s empty lands were leased out for long periods at very low costs during Mayor Keshab Sthapit’s time. This is a criminal offense. Nowhere else in the world is land leased out for eternity with such degradation of the environment in places having little land.
Land was leased out to the private sector instead of making ponds and lakes and parks and playgrounds where only the elderly could go for walks, children could play, and youngsters could exercise, and gardens full of fruits and flowers, Various kinds of view towers and concrete jungles were built in the few remaining empty lands, And, now, even the very empty spaces left are being used for dumping garbage. Due to all this, Kathmandu is sick, because it cannot breathe. Kathmandu valley is in itself a civilization. It is necessary to work in collaboration in order to save its environment, since Kathmandu cannot do this alone. It is also necessary to minimize the man-made problems. Technology should be used to manage the waste emanating from households and clean up the rivers flowing through the city.
When discussing the environment, we have to talk about the Kathmandu valley. In my understanding, Kathmandu can only be made clean and healthy through the joint efforts of the metropolis, the municipalities, and the village development committees. We have to be committed to make the Kathmandu valley beautiful, civilized, safe, and pollution-free; this lovely Kathmandu valley that becomes visible to us as our plane lands after flying over the surrounding mountains. This is the world’s main entry point to Nepal. We should not delay any longer in restoring it from its wounded state to good health.
How to develop Kathmandu within the coming 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 years’ time? What type of infrastructure will be needed? In which locations will the infrastructure be built? Which spaces should be kept open? Where to open schools? Where to have hospitals? All this should be included in a detailed plan to manage the city without destroying its basic character. Management of the city is only possible through support of the city inhabitants. Making roads by grabbing small plots of land without paying reimbursement; hitting hard those living in rented two-room flats and barely making ends meet with the hammer of high taxes; increasing taxes only, instead of widening the number of taxpayers; incessantly increasing tax payments for those who regularly pay taxes; and letting free those who don’t pay any taxes are all due to the current unjust scenario, in which there is no accountability. Ending this and developing the feeling among all city inhabitants that this city is also mine, and that I too have a love for it, should be the stated goal.
