Pokhareli joins participate cleaning from Phewa Lake

 

POKHARA, Oct 11: A cleaning campaign has been started from this morning after the spread of water lily weeds in Pokhara's Phewa Lake. Dhanraj Acharya, head of Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality, has started a cleaning campaign by asking various organizations here to join in the cleaning of Phewa Lake.

On the first day of the cleanup, various organizations, government employees and security personnel were working to remove water lily weeds with the help of boats and other means, informed the Chief Acharya of the Metropolitan Municipality.

Watermelon has spread in all parts of the lake with continuous rain. In the morning, water lily weeds were removed from the dam site of the lake to the north side of Khare. According to the chief Acharya, it will take a week to remove all the weeds as there are many weeds in the lake.

Jalakumbhi has been obstructing domestic and foreign tourists visiting the Taalbarahi temple located in the middle of the lake. On that occasion, Metropolitan Chief Acharya said that Phewa Lake is not only a Nepali but also a world tourist heritage, so it is everyone's responsibility to protect it.

All 33 wards of Pokhara, organizations, mothers' groups and clubs have been requested to participate in the Phewa Lake cleaning. According to Acharya, under the leadership of ward presidents of all 33 wards, various groups will be involved in cleaning the lake.

Even though the Nepal government has set a 65 meter standard on the right and left side of Phewa Lake, the construction of structures in those areas has not been stopped yet. After the case regarding the standard, the Supreme Court ordered the Metropolitan Corporation to implement the standard of 65 meters from the Deal of Phewa Lake for the time being.

Nine thousand nine hundred and fifty-five of the 12,874 ropani areas of Fewatal are covered by water. Ashok Palikhe, the former chairman of the Pokhara Valley Urban Development Committee, said that the flood of the Harpan river coming from the western part of the lake has to stop the work of filling the lake every year. Tek nath Baral, a local resident and human rights leader, says that once the water of Phewa Lake was used for drinking, the water here has been contaminated for the past few years.

"Phewa Lake belongs to everyone, it should be protected, the lake should not be destroyed", Baral said.

Five years ago, the Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality purchased a separate machine for cleaning the lakes of Pokhara by paying more than 1 crore, but the machine has become unusable within a year.