Bulldozers have been actively operating in rivers across the Kathmandu Valley, including the Bagmati, Manohara, Dhobikhola, and Bishnumati, over the past few days. They are being used to remove sediment from riverbeds.
In some areas, the extracted material is being hauled away by tipper trucks, while in others, it is being deposited in parks along the river corridor. Some sections of eroded riverbanks are also being filled in.
Sediment removal accelerates ahead of monsoon
With the monsoon season approaching, local governments in the valley, along with the Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee and other government agencies, have begun using bulldozers to remove sediment and gravel from river channels.
During a meeting of the Parliamentary Infrastructure Development Committee on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development, Prakash Man Singh, said that bulldozers are being used in the Bagmati River to remove sediment in anticipation of potential monsoon-related disasters.
The meeting was convened to discuss preparedness measures to minimise possible damage to local roads, bridges, and other infrastructure under the Urban Development Ministry across the country before the rainy season begins.
Minister Singh said the ministry is taking early precautions based on lessons learned from past incidents. “We are cleaning the rivers in time, removing sediment to reduce the river levels in the valley,” he said. He added that actions are being taken in line with weather forecasts and necessary precautions will be observed.
Aiming to prevent disaster
According to Narayan Prasad Bhandari, Project Director at the Bagmati Civilization Project, sediment removal has already been completed in areas such as Nakkhu and from Balkumari to the confluence with the Manohara River. Current operations are focused on the Balkhu area, the Gokarna region below Sundarijal, and the Guhyeshwari area.
At the committee meeting, Gopal Sigdel, Secretary at the Ministry of Urban Development, said precautions are being taken to deal with potential disasters affecting local roads and bridges.
“Each province and district office has designated focal persons for disaster response,” said Sigdel. He also reported that reconstruction has been completed on 10 suspension bridges damaged by last year’s floods.
