When I asked a resident of a hill settlement in Dahachowk VDC (west of Kathmandu valley, north of Thankot checkpoint) about daily life of locals one morning last April, he replied: “Sir, most people have migrated down to the city. The land here is not fertile and it is difficult to get cheap labor.” I was astonished, but proceeded to reply without much thought: “The hard days will be over in a few years”. There was not a single pakki (brick or cement) house around, nor paved roads, only a kacchi bato that could hardly accommodate a motorcycle. But I could see the huge potential of this and similar hills around Kathmandu valley, if right policy interventions were made without further ado. [break]
When urban development gained momentum within the Ring Road between 1975-90 without any planning or regulation, common people expected the urban sprawl outside the Ring Road would be a little more planned. After 20 years, one can easily see that the urban development outside the Ring Road is no better. In the next 20 years, the beautiful hills surrounding Kathmandu valley could face an even worse plight if nothing is done right now.
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People outside Nepal love the country. They get excited when they hear about Kathmandu; visiting Nepal is in the bucket list of many. But haphazard development, poor infrastructure, lack of reliable utilities and extreme pollution disappoint most visitors when they do come calling.
Policy makers and urban planners have to intervene to protect what is left. The beautiful hills are mostly untouched; and to preserve their pristine environment, urban development there must be better-planned and regulated. These hills have a unique feature that the valley does not. The majestic view they allow, a public good, has enormous value. It should be capitalized. Imagine you have a house atop one of these hills from where you can see shining Himalayas during the day and jhilimili Kathmandu valley in the night, right from the comfort of your veranda!
Can this be done? Certainly, if an inclusive, win-win urban development model can be adopted. Local villagers in these areas can pool their lands, with local governments facilitating the process. Basic infrastructure—wide road, electric/telephone cables, sewerage systems—can be provided under a public-private partnership model. Land owners could participate in private enterprises that take up the responsibility of local infrastructure development.
The land can be divided, as happens in most developed countries, between residential and commercial areas. Residential areas could be further zoned into low density and high density zones. Low density zones will provision for a house in a ropani (around 500 sq ft) of land. High income families could live there. But the buildings should not be allowed to go above three stories, considering the seismic vulnerability of Kathmandu.
For low income households, apartments or town-house type high density development would be appropriate. In each apartment complex all amenities including sport arenas, garbage collection, and parks (from where residents can see the Himalayas in the day and the glittering valley in the night) should be provided for. The remaining public spaces could be reserved for future development, such as schools, public libraries, etc. This is a very common area development model in developed countries. Financing would not be a problem as private sector or foreign developers, if allowed, will easily come forward. Non-residence Nepalese (NRN) would be as interested to invest in this lucrative area.
Most importantly, the initiative must start now before the ugly sprawl gobbles up these spaces. The Kathmandu Valley Development Authority should take lead on this with the help of local VDCs. I hope it will only be a matter of time when we can ask a taxi to go to Kathmandu Hill 1, Kathmandu Hill 2 and so on.
The author holds a Phd in energy economics from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.
gtimilsina@gmail.com
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