Flawed drainage system blamed For flooding at Maitighar

Kathmandu, July 22

Kathmandu Metropolitan City's Acting Mayor Sunita Dangol has instructed officials from partner agencies to submit a technical report identifying the causes of flooding in the Maitighar area.

Dangol issued the directive on Tuesday evening during an inspection of the flood-affected site, the KMC informed in a statement on Wednesday morning. Officials from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited, the Kathmandu Division Road Office and relevant departments of Kathmandu Metropolitan City were asked to prepare the report.

The inspection was attended by representatives from the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, the Metropolitan City's Disaster Management Department, Public Works Department, Urban Planning Commission and the Metropolitan Police.

According to preliminary observations presented by Kathmandu Division Road Office Chief Subodh Devkota, the area has a 90-centimetre drainage pipe that connects to a 60-centimetre outlet, creating a bottleneck in the drainage system.

Officials also said that the construction of buildings around the Maitighar Mandala area had obstructed the drainage network and stressed the need to remove such blockages.

During the inspection, Dangol said the Metropolitan City would work with the local administration and agencies responsible for infrastructure development and public services to remove all obstructions in the drainage system around Maitighar Mandala and prevent future flooding.