Water from Dhap Dam to be released in Bagmati for Chhath festival

KATHMANDU: The Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee is preparing to release water from the Dhap Dam into the Bagmati River during the Chhath festival.

According to the Bagmati River Improvement Project under the committee, water from the Dhap Dam is being released to increase the river’s flow and make it easier for devotees to bathe and perform rituals during the festival.

Deputy Project Director and Information Officer Uddhav Nepal told RSS news agency that preparations are underway to start releasing water into the river from Sunday noon. “Since it takes about 14 hours for the water released from Dhap Dam to reach the Pashupatinath Temple area, we will begin releasing it a day in advance,” he said. “We have been releasing water from the dam into the Bagmati on special occasions.”

The committee plans to release 400 liters of water per second into the Bagmati River for two days during the Chhath festival. “This will raise the water level to the knees, making it convenient for devotees to bathe and offer arghya,” Nepal said

According to the Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee, since the Chhath festival falls earlier this year and heavy rains occurred during Dashain, the flow in the Bagmati River has not decreased significantly.