k|ltlaDa
Nature reflects our nature
“Rivers”: Yet another dumping site
The rivers all around the world are being damaged by a
constant and unprecedented accumulation of waste. The
waste, mostly effluent from human activities, is brought to
the rivers through unmanaged drainage, careless human
activities. Waste is often carried far from where it is orig-
inated thereby polluting the entire river system. The litter
that is mostly dumped is plastic which is non-biodegrad-
able and has a marked effect on the environment.
Kathmandu has been suffering from unmanaged garbage
for the last 20 years, when the city became increasingly
crowded by people. People migrate from rural to urban
area for better livelihood so, the management of garbage
in the capital city is becoming a ‘headache’ for the govern-
ment. Unlike in other cities of developed countries where
waste is managed scientifically, the garbage here is left to
rot in mainly riverbanks or disposed directly into the rivers,
emitting stink and also posing a health hazards to the city
dwellers. The disposal of waste has always been a prob-
lematic issue and dumping in the rivers site has always
been by far the ultimate not the best solution.
The capital city is full of garbage contributing to bad and
negative image among foreigners and visitors which must
be looked upon considerably. There has been little or no
effort to set up a permanent landfill site to dump the wastes
accumulated in the capital. Wastes dumped in the river
has degraded the natural quality of water and also made
it unfit for any uses. The process of modernization char-
acterized by the rapid industrialization and urbanization
in both the developed and developing countries including
Nepal has led to the problems relating to the dumping of
wastes.
Not only in Nepal, but the issue of waste dump-
ing in river is skyrocketing all around the world.
Each year mining companies dump over 220
million tonnes of tailings, or hazardous mine
waste directly into the rivers and lakes- putting
communities, fisheries and entire ecosystem at
risk. There are many rivers all around the world
that are being excessively polluted. Yangtze
River located in the northern Tibet suffers from
many types of degradation: industrial run-off,
siltation, untreated manure from pig farms, in-
dustrial effluent and sewage from municipal
sources. In fact, in 2012, because of pollution,
the river turned red. Similarly, River Tame locat-
ed in the west midlands of the United Kingdom
has the most micro plastic pollution, according
to a survey done in, 2018. River Tame seems
healthier today, though plastic pollution is still a
major concern. The Cuyahoga River which runs
through the congested urban environment, has
been subjected to numerous forms of pollution,
particularly industrial waste. The Buriganga
River also known as the old Ganges, suffers
from just about every type of pollution imagin-
able: chemical waste from textile mills. Domes-
tic garbage, rotting fruit and vegetables, medi-
cal waste, sewage, dead animals, plastics and
petroleum. It emits a foul smell and no aquatic
life can survive in it. A better option would be to
stop dumping garbage and various poisons into
the river, although this option will be very costly.
In the same way various other rivers like: Mari-
lao River, Sarno River, Mississippi River, Cita-
rum River, Doce River, Yellow River and Gan-
ges River are used as the major dumping site
despite their environmental or religious values.
Nevertheless, many attempts are being made
for the sewage treatments in order to make
sure that the contaminated water from the river
does not get mixed with the environment. The
treatment of wastes before the discharge can
also be the major aid to reduce the river con-
tamination. Moreover, laws and legislation to
pollution should be strictly followed by all and
people should be made aware that adherence
to water laws are their own interest.
Gauri Shrestha
B.Sc Environmental Science
2nd year (Batch-2017)
Nature and Social Concern Society
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