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Martin and I have settled into our clean and easy expat life in the Lazimpath region of Kathmandu. We have become so comfortable, in fact, that the hard facts about life in Nepal have faded for me. It took a walk across town yesterday to bring some perspective back.
Nepal is a country of souring high mountains and lush green valleys, but scratch that glittering surface just a little and you’ll find a country that is plagued with a struggling (and at times totally nonexistent) infrastructure. Take sewage, for example. I just read that only about 25% of people in Kathmandu have access to a proper sewage system. There was a waste water treatment center built in Kathmandu in the 1970′s, but for reasons I can’t figure out, it is not in use. So, where does the other 75% go? Well, you’re looking at it.
We crossed this lovely river on our walk yesterday and believe me, it smelled worse than it looks. What I didn’t catch in the picture is a pig carcass that was lodged into some debris just below us. The water condition is so bad now that aquatic life no longer exists in the Kathmandu river.
Sadly, for a city that sits in such a beautiful place, their sanitation standards have a long way to go. I make no claim to know the intricacies of Nepal’s bureaucracy, but I’m pretty sure that taking care of it’s own poop (and indirectly it’s own rivers) should rank relatively high on their list.
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 3:01 am and is filed under Nepal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
About Us
You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
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