A Silent Whisper

Write your text here...In Kathmandu, the Bagmati River flows all around the city and used to be considered as the lifeline.

I followed the Bagmati River in Kathmandu valley and I saw the change in its life as well as its use and its negligence. I saw people doing their rituals near the river. I saw people farming beside the river although most of the farmers don’t use the water from the polluted river. People take their domestic animals to the riverside and keep eyes on them to not let them go in the river. Besides, I also saw people passing their time beside the river. People collect trash, and a few times I saw people trying fishing. The things I saw, I saw them from a distance. The monochromatic state of the river made me remain also in the monochrome.

The consequences of this pollution are far-reaching. Once alive, it's choked with waste. People revere it with rituals, a memory of its clean past. Now, the water's too dirty to touch. The river whispers for help, hoping its story isn't lost forever. The water is unsafe for drinking, bathing, or irrigation, impacting the health of the people who depend on it. The aquatic life has suffered immensely, and the river's cultural significance as a sacred site has been under threat.

The story doesn't end here. The resilience of the people who depend on the Bagmati, coupled with growing awareness of the problem, offers a glimmer of hope. Perhaps by acknowledging the distance created by pollution, we will be able to go more into the river.