Pratibimba 2019 Pratibimba 2019 | Page 45

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 45