Volunteers who have been involved in the Bagmati Clean-up Campaign for more than last three years participated in the Dhobi Khola Clean-up Campaign on Saturday to mark the latter’s 100th week.

Over 15,000 people, including students, local club members, Nepal Police and Army personnel, extracted around 115 metric tonnes of garbage from 10 different locations. 

The clean-up programme, which was carried out at different places— Budhanilakantha, Seto Pool, Kalo Pool, Om Nursing Hospital—ended at the confluence of Bagmati and Dhobi Khola.

The Dhobi Khola Clean-up Campaign was started some 100 weeks ago at the initiative of former chief secretary Leela Mani Paudyal, the man behind the Bagmati Clean-up Campaign. 

“The Dhobi Khola campaign was started when the Bagmati Clean-up Campaign had reached its 40th week,” said Paudyal. 

The campaign has helped raise awareness among the general public about keeping our water bodies clean, said Paudyal. 

Saturday’s cleaning programme was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development CP Mainali, Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa. Government officials, students, representatives of various organisations too were present.

 The Bagmati Clean-up Campaign on Saturday reached its 141st week. 

On April 11, a 28-km human chain was built to celebrate the 100th week of the Bagmati Clean-up Campaign. 

Over 950 organisations, including Kathmandu denizens in huge numbers, had taken part in the programme. Every Saturday, over 3,000 tonnes of waste is extracted from the Bagmati river. 

According to the campaigners, over 7,000 tonnes of solid waste has been taken out from the Bagmati river so far.