In Nepal’s tourism capital, Pokhara, a new wave of city cleanliness and environmental protection is taking shape. From demolishing structures that violate lake conservation standards to partnering with major business houses for lake cleanups, and even campaigns that turn waste into cash, the city has launched a range of initiatives with the start of the new fiscal year.
The campaign marks a sharp departure from past years. Previously, environmental programs were almost absent from the city’s agenda. In the last fiscal year, of roughly 2,500 programs listed in Pokhara Metropolitan’s “red book” (its annual plan and budget allocation document), only 56 (about three percent) focused on environmental conservation. Under the category of tourism, culture promotion, and environmental beautification, just 1.5 percent of the total budget was earmarked, and only about one-fifth of those projects progressed beyond the detailed project report (DPR) stage. Many were never implemented.
“This year, we are prioritizing environmental protection programs with a focus on Pokhara’s beautification, biodiversity, and natural resource conservation,” said Motiraj Timilsina, spokesperson for Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality.
The city has also begun a crackdown on unauthorized lakeshore structures. Since the Nepali calendar month of Jestha, officials have installed 1,055 boundary markers along Phewa Lake, with GPS points added in areas where physical markers were not feasible or could be removed. All structures extending beyond these boundaries are slated for demolition under a formal municipal decision. “We will soon start demolishing the structures,” said Mayor Dhanraj Acharya.
Pokhara’s lakes, long a draw for tourists, have also become repositories for urban waste. Rapid urbanization, booming tourism, heavy rainfall, and the city’s sloped terrain funnel garbage—often dumped carelessly—into Phewa Lake through streams like Firke and Bulaundi. “Now, we will not just control this problem, we will turn this waste into cash,” Mayor Acharya said.
To that end, the municipality has launched the “Green Employment Creation Project,” forming 136 waste management groups, four in each of the city’s 33 wards. With support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the project trains residents to produce compost from biodegradable waste and handicrafts from non-biodegradable materials. The city will also buy these products for sale through its “Koseli Ghar” (Gift House) outlet, creating both employment and market demand.
Just yesterday, the municipality signed an agreement with Laxmi Group, one of Pokhara’s largest business houses, to clean the lakes. The partnership will focus on removing moss and water hyacinth, helping restore environmental balance while enhancing tourism appeal. Laxmi Group Chairperson Ganesh Bahadur Shrestha said the company will also support local communities in turning harvested aquatic weeds into handicraft products.
