Armed with the proper public awareness, stakeholders are now beginning to include green belts and plantations in their projects. The ambitious road-building project extending 2.6 kilometres from Maitighar to Tinkune will boast a green belt dividing the expressway and service lanes, which in the past had a footpath and trolley poles. “Since it’s also a model road for the country, we have equipped the road with all the facilities, including a cycle lane, service lane and also the green belt,” said Shyam Prasad Kharel, chief of the Kathmandu Valley Road Improvement Project (KVRIP). “Our plan is to plant ornamental foliage within a 2 metre section we have spared, which will increase the beauty of the road. For this we either plan to call private companies to extend their support in the name of corporate responsibility or hand the job over to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC),” said Kharel. KVRIP also plans to install small trees along two metres of footpath on roads in Lainchaur and Lazimpat-Maharajgunj. “Only greenery can compliment these newly-built roads,” said Kharel.

Similarly, construction groups working on the ring road, responsible for the felling of many trees, are also likely to plant greenery in coming days. Officials will plant trees in areas spanning 5 metres in width on both sides of the ring road in an attempt to ‘beautify’ the area.

“In a total area of 10.3 kilometres, we have plans to plant 3,600 to 4,000 trees each five kilometres,” said Ashok Tiwari, chief of the Ring Road Widening Project.

The KMC also holds the creation of urban green spaces high on its agenda for the coming fiscal year. From renovating existing parks under its jurisdiction to the construction of green traffic islands in Jamal, Tinkune and Thapathali, there are many projects on the metropolis’s bucket list. Officials say the islands will consist of bushes, flowers, seasonal fruits and recyclable materials. “The overall green park construction at Tinkune is also on our to do list which will require a huge budget. To start with, we have plans to construct ‘green islands’ in the initial construction,” said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of the Environment Management Division at the KMC.

Public parks are also likely to witness a makeover. Balaju park, Ranta Park and Sankha park, all under the KMC’s authority, are in the process of regeneration. “Within the next year we plan to replace and add more plants to these parks. We have also segregated a budget for park construction this time,” said Shrestha.

The KMC also plans to expand its “rooftop garden” project which has already achieved some success, with 300 households currently involved in growing edible plants on their rooftops.”This also encouraged households to cultivate vegetables, fruits and herbs and also promotes greenery in small spaces,” said Shrestha. While rooftop gardens have so far been involved in tomato farming and organic vegetable production, they have been hailed as a cost-effective approach to promoting greenery within the capital.