By: Sharada Adhikari

Kathmandu: If there is no proper planning or management, urbanization, a worldwide phenomenon meant for improving living standard, can create environmental chaos. Banepa, a small town situated around 25 km east of Kathmandu in Kavrepalanchowk district, is on its urbanization threshold. However, like other unplanned urban areas, it too is facing problems of drinking water, solid waste management, disposal of sewage, and haphazard settlements among others.

The smallest municipality of Kavrepalanchowk, Banepa is witnessing population growth at a fast rate. The 2001 census recorded the population of this area at 15,822, but the latest data provided by municipality has projected population at around 20,000. "Being the trading centre of Kavrepalanchowk district and also an important station on trade route to Tibet, migration to Banepa from other districts is taking place," said Mahesh Baral, Executive Officer at Banepa municipality.
Migrants are either constructing new houses or renting rooms here. The increase in population has increased the demand for natural resources creating different kinds of environmental hazards.

Scarcity of water

Scarcity of drinking water is the greatest problem that Banepa is facing for the last six to seven years. Saraswoti Shakya, one of the residents of Banepa Bazaar, recalled people fighting for tap water during the dry season. "Water is very scarce here as tap water comes once in two days which is insufficient to fulfill the basic requirements as water from wells isn't safe for drinking and cooking," she said.

Waste management challenge

People here discharge sewage directly into the Punyamata River. Even the municipality collects and dumps solid waste on the banks of the river, just opposite to the IT park of Banepa. "There is a lack of landfill site and we are using this site for dumping wastes temporarily," Baral informed.
Most of the newly constructed houses do not have septic tanks. Those who have constructed a septic tank hardly use it for they find cleaning the tank quite troublesome. In most places sewage lines are made of stones and bricks that leak resulting in a foul stink in the settlements. And during the rainy season, rainwater enters the sewerages through those leakages leading to the flooding of the drains. This monsoon, the people here had to deal with another problem when Punyamata River flooded the settlement area.
"Solid wastes thrown into the river, soil and sand settled in river bed due to soil erosion and the encroachment of its bank for extension of agricultural land has forcibly narrowed the river area. This led to the unexpected rise in the water level which flooded the settlement area," said engineer and inhabitant of Banepa, Bhuwan Shrestha.

Ray of hope

Several environmental problems associated with unplanned urbanization have gripped this town. But with the Urban and Environmental Improvement Project (UEIP) a new hope for improvement has come up. The project has been implemented in nine towns of Nepal including Banepa by the government with loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank for a balanced urban development.
"The project was implemented in Banepa from 2005 and improving the environmental condition is one of the various priorities of this project," informed Dinesh Raj Pote, project manger of UEIP Unit of Banepa. Under the urban environment improvement programme of the project, the major focus is on construction of sewerage lines and wastewater treatment plant, integrated land development, and road upgradation. Besides the environmental issues, institutionalization of municipality, mobilization of revenue, development of small urban facilities, community developments are the other areas in which the project is working.

Work progress

It's been four years since the project has been put into operation but very less has been accomplished in terms of environmental issues. Shiva Hari Sharma, director of UEIP said, "The unstable political scenario created problems for the proper implementation of the project in Banepa, but we are trying our best despite the difficulties."
However, the consumers have their own view. "The municipality and the UEIP unit of Banepa lack transparency regarding their work process which has discouraged the consumer groups from supporting them," said Indra Narayan Vaila, president of consumer group of wastewater treatment plant. "The implementation part is very ineffective as authorities of the past were busy dividing commissions amongst themselves rather than focusing on delivering quality service," he added.
Sur Krishna Baidya, president of Footpath Upgradation Consumer group also shared a similar view. "The footpath has been paved with low quality slabs in many places despite our frequent attempts to stop the work," he claimed.
Pote, who is the newly appointed project manager, denied the fact of bypassing the community and said, "If working procedure doesn't meet the prescribed standard during inspection, it will be replaced immediately."
The blame game continues but what both the parties cannot deny is the sad fact that the fast growing unplanned urbanization is hampering the environment of the place. And if major steps are not taken it might be too late to save Banepa from being another mismanaged town with unending problems.

Source: The Himalayan Times, November 6, 2009