In a bid to mitigate dust pollution, the Department of Roads (DoR) has expedited blacktopping of roads in Kathmandu Valley. 

Engineer Shiva Hari Sapkota, director of the Central Regional Road Directorate (CRRD), said the DoR has been working together with the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City in an effort to reduce dust pollution. 

“We’ve set a target of blacktopping the most polluted areas in the Capital by this month,” said Sapkota, explaining that blacktopping of the 1.2-km Chabahil-Gaushala road section has been going on. 

“We are, however, compelled to leave the blacktopping work in one lane as the Melamchi pipelining work is yet to be carried out in the area,” he said. 

The roads along the Gausala-Chabahil section is considered more vulnerable due to the old water supply pipelines built during the Rana regime. 

According to Sapkota, the blacktopping works are going on rapidly in the 400-metre Gaushala-Ratopool, the 600-metre Chabahil Chowk-Dhobikhola sections and the 1.5-km stretch in Thankot area. The road-paving works are also on in Satdobato-Dholahati-Chapagaun and Maitighar-Bijulibazar road sections. 

The DoR has recently completed blacktopping of the Koteshwor-Mahadevesthan road stretch where the locals had caused obstructions to the road widening task for three years, said Sapkota. 

The Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) said it has laid 630km of pipelines out of the total 670km, in the Valley. 

Leela Prasad Dhakal, spokesperson for the Project Implementation Directorate (PID) under the KUKL, said the blacktopping works in Koteshwor, Patan and Chabahil have been completed. “We are doing our best in laying pipes on the roads and footpaths to let the DoR carry its works smoothly. There had been a few delays due to road obstruction by locals in some areas but we will solve this problem soon,” he said. 

The DoR said it has blacktopped 132km out of 317km road sections in the Valley.

The KUKL has already blacktopped a road near the Tribhuvan International Airport, Tinkune-Maitighar-Thapathali, Balaju-Machhapokhari, Narayan Gopal Chowk-Chabahil, Lainchaur-Panipokhari and Gaushala- Jayabageshwori sections. The KMC is responsible for maintaining roads within metropolis that are less than eight-metre wide. 

The KUKL, currently 110 million litres of water per day is being supplied to the Kathmadu Valley. Of total water supply,  30 to 40 per cent water leaks through the old water supply pipelines. 

The DoR has pointed out the water leakage as a major cause leading to damage of the newly blacktopped roads. “We expect to get over this problem once the pipelining works are completed,” said Sapkota.

‘Clean City’ drive: 9 metric tons of dust removed

KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has removed nine metric tons of dust from various parts of the metropolis on Saturday morning as part of its ongoing ‘Clean City’ drive that is into its third week.  

Bishnu Prasad Joshi, chief of the city police, said the clean up drive was carried out in Bagbazaar, Purano Bus Park, Bhadrakali and Shingha Durbar areas on Saturday.

“We have been working to make the city’s core areas dust-free, so that people need not wear a mask while taking a walk around these areas,” said Joshi. 

Two metric tons of dust was removed from the area with the use of a broomer machine on Saturday. The KMC had deployed 13 city police personnel and another 12 employees from its Environment Division for the purpose. 

“We are focusing mainly in the roads and footpaths that need not to be dug out,” said Dhani  Ram Sharma, executive at the KMC, adding that the metropolis is planning to expand the drive into other areas.  

On Thursday, the KMC had sprinkled water to contain the dust in some places, including Keshar Mahal to Jamal areas. (PR)