Kathmandu, July 4: The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office has reported that following recent rainfall in Kathmandu, debris—including gravel, silt, and garbage—has accumulated in the Bagmati River, raising the riverbed and obstructing the drainage of water from its tributaries. As a result, several roads have become inundated.
After continuous rainfall on July 2 (Asar 18), which left various roads across the Kathmandu Valley submerged and disrupted vehicular movement, the Traffic Police, accompanied by a team of experts, conducted an on-site inspection of the Bagmati River and its tributaries on Friday.
Based on the inspection, the Traffic Police concluded that the elevated riverbed caused by the accumulation of debris in the Bagmati has prevented water from tributaries such as the Tukucha, Dhobikhola, and Bishnumati rivers from flowing freely. Instead, the water has been forced into reverse flow (backflow), worsening flooding in surrounding areas.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Suresh Prasad Kafle, Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, during heavy rainfall the water level in the Bagmati River often rises above that of its tributaries. Consequently, rainwater from the tributaries is unable to discharge into the Bagmati and instead spills onto nearby roads, causing widespread flooding.
“The accumulation of debris in the Bagmati River has raised the riverbed, which appears to be obstructing the drainage of water from the tributaries,” SSP Kafle said. “The concerned authorities need to conduct a detailed study and identify a long-term solution to this problem.”
He expressed confidence that removing debris from the Bagmati River to a depth of at least 1.5 meters would significantly improve water flow during the monsoon season and substantially reduce road flooding.
The inspection team also emphasized that achieving a long-term solution to monsoon-related road flooding in the Kathmandu Valley requires coordinated efforts by the relevant authorities. These should include regular river cleaning, proper debris management, and improvements to the drainage and stormwater disposal systems.
According to the Traffic Police, following Thursday’s rainfall, roads in areas including Singha Durbar, New Plaza, Anamnagar, Sinamangal, Gaushala, Tilganga, and Maitighar were inundated. Although road flooding disrupted traffic, traffic police personnel remained deployed on the streets throughout the adverse weather to manage traffic and ensure the smooth movement of vehicles.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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