Although 26 Village Development Committees (VDC) of the district and one municipality have already been declared ODF area, the district as a whole has not achieved that status.
“We have not been able to step up our cleanliness campaign because the district has not been declared ODF zone yet,” said Man Bahadur Rokaya, chief of Drinking Water and Cleanliness Committee. “The date to declare the district as ODF zone had already been fixed twice before. But it was postponed on both occasions,” he added.
Local Development Officer Mitra Mani Pokhrel said the district would be declared ODF zone at any cost this time.
According to Arjun Bom, chief of the district's Drinking Water and Cleanliness Sub-division Office, Rs 1.2 million is required to make the declaration and the fund is being collected.
Chief District Officer Deependra Raj Poudel stressed the need for awareness and dedication to maintain cleanliness.
“Karnali itself is a very beautiful area carrying huge prospects for tourism. We can be tourist-friendly if we can maintain its cleanliness,” said CDO Poudel.
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