Although the number of pilgrims, both Nepalis and Indians has grown significantly over the years, lack of proper development of the physical infrastructure accordingly has put both the pilgrims and the environment in peril.
The leftover of incense sticks, plastic bags and so forth have further added to the pollution of the water source area.
Furthermore, due to the open defecation by the pilgrims across the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, locals are irked as it is littered with stool, according to Buddha Lama, a local.
Lama shared that the stool-contaminated water is channeled to generate electricity by the Nepal Electricity Authority and the same water is filtered and processed for the drinking water by the Kathmandu Upatyakata Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the government water utility body.
He spoke of the need to manage and protect the purity of the drinking water and the area.
It is estimated that some 500,000 pilgrims visit Sundarijal during the month. Lately, Sundarijal saw a big event organized by the Bholenath Kabariya Association thousands of pilgrims were estimated to have come here.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam, addressing the gathering in Sundaruijal on August 3, had pledged a land for the proper management of this religious event.
Vice-President of the Gokarna-Sundarijal Bagmati Stakeholder Committee Ramesh Simkhada shared that the locals had to put with pollution as the event organizers were not paying any attentions towards managing the pilgrims milieu, one among them is the waste management.
"The organizers do not seem to be mindful about the waste management," he remarked.
After the repeated grievances from the locals, a group comprising representatives from the KUKL, Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Management Board and other concerned authorities have set out for Sundarijal to carry out a study on the same, informed the General Manager of KUKL, Chandralal Nakarmi.
"We will take action as the study report will be prepared on the same," he added. Nakarmi further shared that the joint VDC Office of VDC 1, 2 and 4 of Gokarneshow Municipality were accountable to manage the waste in Sundarijal as the authority had already provided them Rs 20,000 for cleanliness of the place.
Secretary of the joint VDC office, Ram Kumar Shrestha admitted that Sundarijal saw staggering number of pilgrims and was littered by the carious pollutant.
He also shared that they were launching sanitation drive in the area with caution.
As the case of cholera outbreak has already been reported in the Kathmandu Valley due to the contaminated water, locals have demanded with the authority concerned to pay due attention towards the increasing pollution in the water source at Sundarijal.
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