No new construction within 40 meters of Kathmandu’s riverbanks: Balen

KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah has urged people to comply with building standards when conducting construction work in river and stream areas.

Sharing excerpts of the government standards and a Supreme Court order on his Facebook page on Wednesday, he appealed to people to adhere to these guidelines.

“When planning construction, approving blueprints and buying or selling property in river areas, please follow these standards. Otherwise, you may face consequences later,” he wrote. “The rivers and streams of this Earth have rights too. Nature can also revolt. Let’s protect the rights of rivers and streams.”

A cabinet meeting held in 2008 declared a construction prohibited zone within at least 20 meters of the Bagmati, Bishnumati and Manohara rivers flowing through Kathmandu Valley, and 4-12 meters for other streams. KMC has been following this standard so far.

A Supreme Court mandamus issued in 2023 expanded the construction prohibited zone by an additional 20 meters.

Mayor Shah has said that there is no alternative to implementing this new standard immediately. “The recent devastating floods in the riparian areas of the Valley’s rivers and streams have further justified the mandamus,” he wrote. “Now, the campaign to keep the riparian areas clear will be made more effective.”

Shah said that KMC, from now onwards, will not grant permission to construct government or private buildings or other physical structures in the additional 20-meter zone.