Kathmandu, January 11
A recent study has found pretty high level of pollution in sections of the Bagmati, which some Hindu scriptures have described as far more sacred than the Ganges.
The study has concluded that Bagmati water, in certain stretches, is unfit not only for drinking, but also for irrigation.
The report titled Bagmati Expedition-2015, work of the Nepal River Conservation Trust, Biosphere Association and Him-Bio Click, states that the water flowing up to 15 kilometres from the river’s origin is fit for drinking after filtration. Below that point, the water is too polluted for irrigation, let alone drinking.
There’s high level of sodium and Chloride in the river water, according to the study. The combination of Sodium and Chloride produces salt and water containing salt inhibits growth of plants.
This type of water, according to experts, can turn cultivable land into desert.
Samples collected from different sections of the river show that the river water has high concentration of Ammonia and Nitrite. On this ground, experts say, the river water is unfit for drinking, the study report states. But the water flowing close to the river’s origin is fit for drinking and irrigation.
Up to 15 kilometres downstream from the point of its origin, the river water is clean. From that point up to 65 km downstream from Chobhar, the river water is not fit for irrigation.
On the basis of pH scale, the Bagmati water is unfit for drinking and irrigation close to the Indian border regions.
In districts like Kathmandu, Makwanpur and Rautahat, people use Bagmati water, mainly for irrigation.
The study has shown that the river cannot sustain aquatic beings (in most of its stretch). Plastic content in the river is pretty high, mainly in Kathmandu.
In course of the study, the study team found 174 species of birds. Of them, one is on the verge of extinction, while five are protected species.
