The city of Kathmandu in Nepal has been constantly inhabited since the 4 century A.D. at least. In the bustling capital one can still see people walking down steps to beautifully carved waterspouts which traditionally used to bring water from underground springs. Beautifully done in intricate brickwork and with carvings on and around them, these ‘dharas’ were more than functional spaces, they were also spiritual places. Many ‘dharas’ dot the streets and many are still working yet a few have gone dry as the city has built up on the surface and not taken care of the recharge to the aquifer , which would spring out as crystal clear water fit to drink.
In the old city of Patanare beautiful open wells, some more than 1,000 years old. These too tap into groundwater. Some of them still are in use but many have fallen into disrepair as water tables have fallen and modern taps come into homes.
The Bhagmathi runs past the Pashupatinath Temple, iconic for Hindus. Its water runs fast yet is dirtied downstream with garbage and sewage. The government and citizens have launched a clean the river campaign and some results are discernible. Yet more remains to be done to keep it as clean as the stream that enters the city bringing the fresh water from the hills. Clean catchments and clean water valleys have to mainstream themselves from symbolic action and volunteerism to an institutional, sustained mechanism. This is the difficult part.
The wells and springs are not peculiar to Kathmandu alone; they are common or were in most Himalayan towns in India too. Projects are still underway to either haul through tunnels or to pump them using electricity from the valley below.
It is a strange situation when the local resource, the rain, the spring, the well, the river and the stream is not understood scientifically and taken care of and a chase for distant waters at great cost to the environment and the economy is undertaken. Town after town and city after city does this.
By cleaning up our cities and by focussing attention on maintaining cleanliness in a sustainable fashion we will discover a treasure trove in our water heritage which will bring us supplemental benefits from a heritage and culture revival to clean waters. Not forgetting the water below our feet is crucial to our cities.
Kathmandu would be an even richer city for its citizens and for the tourists who come to see it, if all its springs, rivers and wells were full of clean water. That should be the national endeavour and a citizens’ movement.
