"Space for two trees should be shown in the design to get KMC approval," Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, the chief of KMC, said. [break]
KMC decided to enforce the provision to compensate for the deteriorating environment in the capital, Adhikari claimed. He hopes that the new provision will bring back greenery to the capital.
Each year KMC approves over 5,000 house blueprints. KMC says Kathmandu will have 100,000 trees within 10 years if the provision is implemented. But people will have to plant only the trees approved by the Department of Forests (DoF). DoF has prescribed 10 varieties of trees for the purpose and they can be bought from nurseries.
But the rule is a little bit flexible for those with very small piece of land. KMC chief Adhikari said, "They will have to place at least five big vases on the roof top and plant prescribed shrubs in them," he added.
KMC said its staffers will regularly inspect to see if the rule has been followed and those ignoring the rule will be punished.
KMC also plans to plant trees at all government offices and in open spaces in the metropolis. Earlier, the KMC had planted trees on the banks of various rivers in Kathmandu but the plants died out for lack of care.
The Environment Department at KMC in the past had decided not to plant saplings on the pavements after such saplings also died out. Every year, KMC spends hundreds of thousands of rupees for planting trees with little success.
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