Campaign to clean Trisuli begins

A campaign to clean the Trisuli river was launched on Sunday, with half-a-dozen organisations including Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Nepal Association of Rafting Agency, lending hands for the cause. The programme, coinciding with the World Water Day, was initiated by. Two hundred representatives volunteered in the campaign, collecting garbage on five kilometre area of the river. Uttam Kadel, chairman of the Trisuli Save Sajha Sanjal, said that the trend of throwing garbage in the river due to urbanisation has been a matter of concern. With garbage of 12 districts, including that of Kathmandu, being dumped in the river, he said the river may look like Bagmati within a few years unless conservation efforts are made at the earliest. Sushil Ghimire, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, assured that the government would release budget to clean the river. Director of the NTB Hikmat Singh Aire, Chairman of Mid-Nepal Tourism Development Committee Dilip Mainali called on the government and other stakeholders to act immediately to rid the river from pollution. Expressing concerns that river pollution may hit the rafting business, Chairman of Himalayan River Guide Association Yubraj Adhikari said that their repeated calls to clean the river have fallen. source: ekantipur