The Bagmati River cleanup campaign completed its 42 weeks today. Like in previous Saturdays, stakeholders, including the Ministry of Urban Development, the Ministry of Federal Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, the High Level Bagmati Civilisation Protection Committee, and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City took part in the campaign today as well. “We have been cleaning the river around Thapathali bridge area for the last 42 weeks. When we are there, we also urge women to prevent people from throwing waste into the river,” said Dr Sumitra Amatya, executive director at the Solid Waste Management Technical Support Centre. About 2,000 participants, including Urban Development Minister Narayan Khadka, high ranking government officials, different schools and mediapersons, collected about nine metric tonnes of waste today, said the SWMTSC. “The Kathmandu Metropolitan City, with help of local communities, also picked waste from the Bishnumati and Dhobikhola, which flow through the city centres, today,” said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of the KMC’s Environment Management Division. Direct release of untreated wastewater to rivers has heavily polluted these water bodies.