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“I may be living on the banks  of Fewa Lake, but I have never encroached upon it. Instead, the lake has encroached upon me,” said Som Jalari, a member of the indigenous fishing community living in Khapaudi area near Fewa Lake, as a group of locals prepared to take out a motorbike rally to protest the Supreme Court's order to remove encroachments around lakes in Pokhara Valley.

Jalari explained that his century-old ancestral house was built in a time when boundaries and encroachments were not issues. “I have no idea why the government is forcing us to leave our ancestral home without any consultation with us. Neither the government nor the court is bothered to hear our story,” he said. “How could they label us as encroachers just like that, without even talking to us and hearing our story?”

Jalari’s sentiments echo those of all the indigenous locals around Fewa who have raised their voices against the Supreme Court’s recent order to set 65 meters from the shores of Fewa Lake as the lake’s boundary. They argue that the verdict does not do justice to the people living on the lake’s shores for centuries. “If we are to be relocated, we must receive compensation,” Jalari said.

The locals living around Fewa have formed a struggle committee to fight for their demands.

The Supreme Court recently ordered the local government to remove all encroachments and maintain a 65-meter distance from the lake shores as the lake’s boundary. The apex court issued the order in response to a writ filed by advocates, including Khagendra Subedi, and in accordance with laws governing international wetland areas. 

Pokhara Valley Lake Cluster, which includes all nine lakes of the Pokhara Valley, was declared as Ramsar site in 2016.

Locals say they won’t leave their ancestral property as they have made a lot of social, economic and emotional investments in their homestead. “Why did the government collect tax from us if our houses were illegal? Why were the banks allowed to extend loans by accepting our land and houses as collateral. We must be compensated if we are forced to leave this place,” the locals say.

Hari Bhujel, another affected local, said he invested all his property in his hotel as tourism started flourishing in Pokhara. “I was never bothered by local government authorities or tax collectors,” he said. “I don’t know why the government remained silent for decades, and why it is suddenly active.”

Bhimsen Bhujel, 65, said he should be compensated to cover the bank loans that he has taken by pledging his property as collateral if he is to be displaced. “My grandfather built this house almost a century ago, even before the lake was first measured. The government should consult with local residents before taking such important decisions,” he added.

Pokhara Mayor Dhan Raj Aacharya has already stated that the metropolitan city will comply with the apex court’s order to remove encroachers.

Nabin Baral, coordinator of the Fewa Lake Concern and Struggle Committee, said they should have special rights as long-time residents, who have voluntarily contributed to the lake’s beauty through clean-up and related activities for generations.

The World Tourism Day on Wednesday has been celebrated with the theme “Tourism and Green Investment.” To mark the occasion, tourism stakeholders of Pokhara are planning to launch “Green Pokhara”' campaign and raise awareness against environmental degradation. 

Chairman of Pokhara Tourism Council Pom Narayan Shrestha said they have already made the necessary preparations for the campaign. He added that the Gandaki Province Ministry of Tourism, Industry, Commerce and Supplies has also pledged to extend its support. 

Here is what tourism entrepreneurs and stakeholders have to say about Pokhara’s preparations for the World Tourism Day.

Pom Naryan Shrestha, Chair of Pokhara Tourism Council

While linking tourism to the environment, Pokhara should always be the first priority. It is because Pokhara is one of the richest cities having almost all kinds of natural resources in all over Asia. We should be concerned not only to protect it, but also on how we can link it up with the international market. The tourism industry of Pokhara is facing great economic loss in recent years. Tourist numbers are not encouraging. So we should make efforts to attract more visitors by promoting our destinations and activities on offer. It is also crucial to protect our environment. 

Krishna Prasad Aachary, Vice Chair, Trekking Agent’s Association of Nepal, Gandaki

 To celebrate World Tourism Day, we recently conducted a hiking program in marginalized villages of Pokhara. In the course, we discovered that many of the famous routes favored by foreigners had collapsed. This was due to the lack of maintenance and unmanaged development activities. But There are still opportunities to set new trekking routes and attract visitors. We have already made plans to identify new hiking trails around Pokhara to showcase the city’s natural beauty. 

Kamala Giri, Secretary General, Nepal Association for Travel and Tours Agencies, Gandaki 

To mark the World Tourism Day, we have decided to maintain greenery around Pokhara. Today, we planted almost 200 tree saplings around Pokhara Tourist Bus Park. We hope this initiative from our part will encourage the local government to consider Environment Impact Assessment while implementing construction related activities in Pokhara.

Thaneswor Baral, Handicraft Association, Gandaki 

I sell and export woolen craft. But these days, I feel there is an immense shortage of local wool due to the shortage of Himalayan Goats. Until a few years ago, I used to import only 50 percent wool for craft making purposes. But these days, almost 90 percent of the wool needs to be imported. The impacts of environmental degradation and climate change have hurt businesses like mine.

For the same reason I want to show my solidarity to this greenery campaign on World Tourism Day. 

Naresh Bhattarai , Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal , Pokhara 

Greenery and calm natural resources is one of the most important factors that influence tourism. The length of their stay also depends on what attracts them the most. In my experience as a hotelier, I have found that most guests want a clean and calm environment along with authentic food and culture. For the same reason, Pokhara has been hosting more tourists in comparison to other cities. But these days, haphazard development works have ruined the image of Pokhara. So I wholeheartedly support the “Green Pokhara” campaign. 

In October 2022, a new hotel was erected a mere 10 meters away from the shores of Lake Fewa. Despite violating the standard criteria of maintaining a 60-meter distance from the lake, the hotel was inaugurated by Bishnu Bhattarai, the local ward chairperson.

Ishwar Baral, the owner of the hotel, in an interview with the Centre of Investigative Journalism, expressed his admiration for the enchanting view of the lake from the hotel’s upper floors.

Two months after the inauguration of the hotel, Madhav Prasad Paudel decided to add another storey to his old house on the shores of the lake. But Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya ordered Paudel to halt the construction midway. 

Paudel waited for a month or so before resuming the construction work. The house, just 40 meters away from the shore of the Fewa, has now been turned into a hotel. Paudel claims as this house was built by my grandfather, the construction criteria around Fewa do not apply to his ancestral property.

During the local elections, Padam Lamichhane of Begnas in Pokhara-31 acquired approximately five ropani of unregistered (parti) land in Majhikuna, on the shore of Begnas Lake, to start his own hotel business. Once the foundation was laid, the metropolitan police demolished the structure, claiming it was illegal to build a structure within 65 meters of the shore, and that too on the unregistered land.

The construction materials were confiscated. But, like Paudel, Lamichhane resumed construction after two months and currently operates a hotel there. His hotel is just 10 meters from the shore of Lake Begnas.

Another resort has also opened on encroached land at Magikuna in Begnas. Built by Machchhe Gurung, a resident of Gilung in Kwoholasothar Rural Development Committee, Lamjung, this resort is just 15 meters from the lake. However, the criteria for Begnas is 100 meters. Gurung says he has built a hotel there as he owns the land.

Similar structures are being built on the shores of lakes in Pokhara. The construction criteria prepared six decades ago—leaving 65-meter distance from the shore of Fewa Lake and 100-meter from the shore of other lakes in Pokhara— still exist and apply to date. But they are rarely followed or strictly enforced.  

There is no specific data on how many structures have been built violating the criteria. To understand this, we discussed with the locals from Komagane, Fishtail Gate, Ambot, Gaurighat, Barahi, Hallan Chowk, Gairako Chautara, Khapaudi, Chankhapur and Pame, moving from east to west within the boundaries of Lake Fewa. Based on this assessment, at least 200 hotels are operating violating the criteria.

Around 100 hotels and coffee shops from Hallan Chowk to Taal Barahi Ghat and about 200 hotels from Gairako Chautara to Chankhapur have been built in the last five years. All of those structures have violated the criteria. According to the Pokhara Tourism Council, approximately 900 hotels operate in the Lakeside area, and half of them do not meet the criteria.

Kishor Dahal, a resident of Khapaudi in Pokhara-18, purchased a plot of land within the Fewa Lake area and built a house two years ago. This year, he has filled two ropanis of wetlands with earth and concrete on the lake’s shore in Sedi. He plans to build a petrol pump on this land.

Dahal claims there are no issues in filling the land registered in his name. Documents show that he purchased the land from Prem Prasad Pahari two years ago.

Similarly, three hotels have been constructed about 15 meters from the lake in Gairako Chautara within the last two years. Around 50 hotels have been built in the same manner over the past six years. 

About half of the 100 hotels in Majhikuna, on the eastern shore of the Begnas Lake, were built within the last five years. Most of them violate the construction criteria. On the northwest shore of Begnas Lake, around Pipley Danda, Saldanda, Syangkhudi, Libdi, and Begnas Lake Chowk, there are 13 new hotels that were opened fairly recently.

Sushila Pandey, a resident of Majhikuna, says the land around the lake is being developed at such a pace that it is hard to keep track.

Criteria different for different people

A two-storied coffee house that was being built at Pame Road, Khapaudi, on the shore of Fewa, is still incomplete. The metropolitan police halted the construction of the structure made of bamboo and wood.

The man who started the construction, Krishna BK, left for Dubai after his plan to open a business was halted by the city authorities. BK says it is unfair that the city decided to only bar his business plan.

“They have to stop everyone. Why should I be the only one? This isn’t fair” says BK.

Approximately 200 meters from BK’s now abandoned coffee shop stands Hotel Palm Beach. Occupying 10 ropanis of land, the hotel is just 10 meters from the lake and was built in the same year BK began constructing his coffee house.

When the hotel was under construction, a conflict had erupted between the owners and the locals over lake encroachment. The locals called the police and confiscated the keys of the bulldozer. The construction work was halted, only to resume after three months.

Some of the land occupied by this hotel is registered in the name of Toran Baniya, chairperson of Ward 15. Baniya says he has leased  the land.

Last year, Magh Raj Kandel was displaced after the metropolitan city demolished his fishpond, poultry farm, and a tea stall built on a ropani and a half of his land near Majhikuna in Begnas. Kandel passed away on 29 May 2023 due to a heart attack.

Kandel’s business was registered in his own name, and it was located approximately 25 meters from the lake. His neighbors say that Kandel had spent around Rs 500,000 to build the structures for his business. When CIJ met Kandel in April, he had said that apart from the land near the lakeshore, he didn’t have any other assets.

Two months after the authorities demolished Kandel’s structure, Machchhe Gurung, a local resident from Gilung, built a hotel on the other side of the shore. This time, the authorities had no issue with the construction. According to locals, Gurung is a relative of former Chief Minister of Gandaki Province and Vice-chairman of CPN-UML, Prithvi Subba Gurung. 

Next to Gurung’s hotel, another hotel has been running since last year. Pramod Wagle from Chitwan leased approximately 10 ropanis of land within the criteria to run the hotel. His hotel has also acquired an additional four ropanis of unregistered land.

In the same neighborhood, another entrepreneur Bikash Lamichhane has been running a restaurant since 2007 and has added two more floors this year. Even though it was built on his own land, the hotel is adjacent to the lake and does not meet the construction criteria. Lamichhane says he is not concerned about the authorities shutting down his business, as people who have built on unregistered land have not faced any consequences.

Santosh Bhujel, a resident of Pokhara-31, is worried about the haphazard construction going on around the shores of Pokhara lakes and the authorities’ lack of interest to stop it.

Bhujel runs a coffee shop approximately 300 meters from Begnas lake. Despite having his land near the lakeshore, he says he did not operate his business right next to the shore because of the construction criteria. His decision to follow the regulation is now hurting his business. 

He says the lake is no longer visible from his coffee shop, thanks to the newly constructed hotel buildings built on the lakefront. 

Shiva Prasad Pandey, a 63-year-old resident of Syangkhudi in Begnas, says he has not yet understood how the criteria works. He says he has seen the authorities demolish tea stalls and small hotels, but not those big resort hotel properties that touch the lake’s waters.

Arbitrary local governments 

As the government has restricted plotting and development on agricultural land, Pokhara Mayor Acharya has allowed the use of dozer in the wetlands, which do not fall under agricultural category as per the Land Use Regulation 2022. 

With the mayor’s decision, property transactions in and around the wetlands, as well as incidents of land encroachment, have increased.  

According to Leela Dhar Paudel, coordinator of the Water Conservation and Coordination Committee, Kaski, and chairman of the District Coordination Committee, bulldozer was operated on approximately 300 ropanis of land around the Fewa Lake since December last year.

National policies and international treaties related to wetlands and watersheds also prohibit excavation work within wetland and watershed areas. Such land should be protected. In this regard, the High Court of Pokhara heard the writ of Advocate Manoj Gharti Magar and ordered Pokhara Metropolitan not to fill the wetlands near Fewa Lake.

A week after the order of the Pokhara High Court, the Supreme Court ordered the local authorities of Pokhara to remove the encroached structures on other lakeside areas, including Fewa Lake.

Though Mayor Acharya has pledged to implement the Supreme Court’s order and demolish the structures around the lake, the city has not taken any concrete steps to free up the properties that were developed around the lakeshore in violation of the construction regulations.

Earlier, Acharya’s predecessor, Man Bahadur GC, had tried to reduce the construction criteria around Lake Fewa from 65 meters to 35 meters, only for the Supreme Court to intervene and stop further encroachment of the lake.

GC says the decision was taken because many lakefront properties are registered under individual names.

During the local elections of 2022, five parties—Nepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Center), CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajwadi Party, and Rastriya Janamorcha—formed an alliance. They stated that the lakes of Pokhara are the mainstay of tourism and are linked with the province’s economy as a whole and pledged to address all the related problems. They vowed to keep the size of the lake intact, remove encroachments, and distribute compensation fairly.

Similarly, the CPN-UML promised to provide proper compensation to those property owners whose buildings and businesses fall under the “no-construction” zone.

Currently, the executive committee of Pokhara Metropolitan City has an equal number of members from the CPN-UML and the five-party alliance. However, no significant work has been done for the conservation of the lakes.

Before the election, Mayor Acharya had also committed to implementing the Pokhara Watershed Area Project and conserving the lakes in a way that would benefit the locals. However, in the last one and a half years, he has not done any work other than covering the wetlands. 

Acharya says discussions are ongoing about the long-term development plans to conserve the land in a way that does not affect its beauty.

The lakes of Pokhara were listed in the World Wetlands list in 2016. However, the local government has not yet formulated any policies to increase special monitoring and conservation of the wetlands. 

After the introduction of the federal system, Pokhara locals had expected the local governments to resolve the issue of encroachment on the lakes. But that did not happen. 

Surya Prasad Paudel of Pokhara-31 says after the local government came to power, the encroachment has increased.

Individual own 4,000 ropanis of land in around Fewa Lake 

Due to the increasing encroachments of the lake areas, the Supreme Court on April 29, 2018, ordered the local government and the Land Revenue Office to investigate the land within the boundary of Fewa Lake and recommend compensation for the individuals and cancel illegal land registrations.

Accordingly, in October 2020, Pokhara Metropolitan City formed the Fewa Lake Boundary Determination and Demarcation Committee under the leadership of Punya Prasad Paudel, the former chairperson of the Kaski District Development Committee. The committee’s report, released in February 2021, states that 881 plots of land covering 4,000 ropani of area fall within the Fewa Lake area, but are registered as individual property as per the 1963 Land Survey.

According to the locals, after the collapse of the lake dam in 1974, many people registered the land near the lake.

The report of the Fewa Lake Encroachment Inspection Committee, formed under the leadership of Bishwo Prakash Lamichhane, the then chairperson of the Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City Development Committee, mentions that 1,692 ropanis of land that once used to be the Fewa lakebed have been registered as individual properties. 

Landowners are taxed anyway

Lekhnath Dhakal of Sundaridanda in Begnas, Pokhara-31, has land on the shores of Begnas Lake and Rupa Lake, totalling 20 ropanis within the criteria (100 meters). In 1989, the government’s Irrigation Department had compensated the land likely to be affected by rising water levels while constructing a dam in Begnas Lake.

However, after the dam’s construction, Dhakal’s steep land also got submerged under water. His land was not initially listed among the areas to be possibly affected, and so he did not receive any compensation for the land. According to Dhakanath Kandel, chairman of Ward 31, approximately 200 ropanis of land, including Dhakal’s 20 ropanis, were not listed on the initial list, and so their landowners have not received any compensation to date.

Pokhara Mayor Acharya says that because the regulations regarding environment, wetlands, biodiversity, agriculture, and land use refer to the constitution, it is difficult to take any concrete decisions and work. 

According to Dhakal, the submerged 20 ropanis of land was his registered ancestral property. However, after the dam’s construction in Begnas Lake, which raised the water level, he could not farm or make any earnings from the land.

But, he says, he has been paying Rs10,000 annually to the local government as land tax. 

Ishwor Baral, a resident of Gairako Chautara in Lakeside, says he doesn’t know when the government will come and demolish the house where they have been living for generations. He adds the city has been collecting taxes even from those land plots and buildings that violate the construction criteria.

Saraswati Lamichhane of Begnas has been unable to sell her three ropanis of ancestral land because of the criteria. Surya Paudel, a local, has also given up on the land registered in his name near Begnas Lake. 

In 1963, the government measured the area of Fewa Lake for the first time with the help of the Survey of India. The total area of Fewa Lake was 10.35 square kilometers at that time. However, the survey conducted by the Pokhara Metropolitan City in 2020 showed that the size of Fewa Lake had reduced to half, around 5.77 square kilometers. One study concludes that land encroachment is the main reason for the decrease in the lake area.

The Supreme Court has often issued orders to stop encroachments based on the survey reports of Pokhara lakes. The apex court has issued orders to protect the lakes of Pokhara, investigate and control encroachments, provide compensations, and demolish illegal structures that violated the criteria as recently as in 2007, 2012, 2018, 2022, and 2023.

Conflict in the constitutional provision

To some extent, the current constitution is also responsible for the lack of conservation of the lakes in Pokhara. Appendix 5 of the constitution places national and international environment and wetlands management under the federal government’s rights.

Similarly, Appendix 6 mentions that environmental management within the provinces falls under the authority of the provincial government, while Appendix 7 says that the federal and provincial governments jointly govern works related to biodiversity and environmental conservation. Point 10 of Appendix 8 mentions that environmental conservation and biodiversity conservation rights are granted to the local government.

Immediately after the local elections in 2017, former Chief Minister Gurung established the Lake Conservation and Development Authority to help the local government conserve lakes. Although the authority initiated discussions at the local level to identify and manage natural resources around the lakes, its Chief Executive Officer Kalpana Devkota admits they couldn’t carry out further work.

Devokta says many issues related to the lakes and the environment fall under the common rights of the federal, provincial and local governments, and this poses a challenge in proper coordination.

CIJ Nepal

After years of dedicated effort, the Fishery Research Station, under the Nepal Agriculture Research Council, in Pokhara has concluded that commercial pearl farming is feasible in Nepal.

The station had initiated the project in 2017 as part of its mission to diversify aquaculture in the country. The research concluded last week. 

Pearls, natural gems produced by mussels, have captivated humanity worldwide for centuries. They are cherished for their use in decorative and jewelry purposes, and also have medicinal properties for curing diseases. For the research, the station utilized mussels found in the lakes of the Pokhara Valley.

Nepal, blessed with abundant water resources and a variety of mussel species, holds great potential for commercial pearl farming, according to Senior Scientist Dr Md Akbal Husen, the chief of the station, who led the research. As freshwater pearl culture is a new frontier in aquaculture, the Fishery Research Station in Pokhara took up the study, Dr Huse added.

Over 18 species of freshwater mussels worldwide have been used for pearl farming. 

Dr Husen emphasized that pearl farming can open up numerous opportunities for local farmers.

The research has demonstrated that freshwater pearl farming is viable in Nepal, as mussels can be integrated into fish ponds, he added. Pearl farming can be conducted in various water bodies such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, spanning from the Tarai to the mid-hills regions of Nepal. “This makes it an excellent opportunity for rural areas as people can start pearl farming with low investment and get high outputs,” he added.

One of the remarkable aspects of pearl culture is its environmental friendliness, as mussels act as natural water filters, contributing to the cleanliness of water bodies. This, in turn, supports intensive fish culture. Dr Husen highlighted that the simplicity of the methods and the less labor-intensive work involved make pearl farming a suitable profession for women, thereby creating more employment opportunities for rural women.

For the research, the station collected mussels from drainage canals and various lakes in Pokhara and kept them in tanks at the research station. Mussels were fed through natural phytoplankton development in the ponds, with occasional use of artificial feed. Compost, urea, and DAP were also frequently used in the tank to maintain the phytoplankton level.

According to Dr Husen, water bodies with a high volume of natural plankton, specifically phytoplankton, are the best for producing pearls. Dr Husen pointed out that areas like Begnas, Rupa, and other small lakes in the Lekhnath area and their surroundings contain the necessary conditions for successful commercial pearl farming.

How is pearl farming done? 

First, freshwater mussels are collected from water bodies rich in phytoplankton. They undergo pre-operative conditioning for 2-3 days, kept in crowded conditions in plastic tanks with tap water at a stocking density of one mussel per liter. Then, the pearl nucleus, a bead made from powder made from mussel shells into molds, is inserted into the mantle cavity of the mussels after carefully opening the two valves without causing any injury to the mussels. After the implantation, the mussels are returned to the water. It takes approximately a year for the bead to transform into a pearl inside the mussel’s cavity.

Freshwater pearl culture is rapidly emerging as a significant activity in the aquaculture sector. India, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Vietnam, and various other countries have successfully developed freshwater pearl cultivation technologies. In many South-East Asian countries, freshwater pearl culture has become a significant source of employment and income.

The successful development of freshwater pearl farming by the Fishery Research Station in Pokhara represents a significant step towards boosting the economy and empowering local farmers in Nepal. The achievement opens up new possibilities for sustainable aquaculture in the region, benefitting both the environment and the community.

The Supreme Court has ordered the local governments of Kaski to remove all structures that have encroached upon the major lakes in the district. Over a dozen laws authorize local governments to protect and preserve the lakes in their respective areas. Since the construction of a check dam in Fewa Lake in 1999, various laws and policies relating to lake protection, environmental conservation, land reformation, irrigation, agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, and wetland conservation have been drafted. Additionally, all eight lakes in the Pokhara Valley have received Ramsar site status. However, encroachment around the lakes has continued unabated. Since the political change in 2006, the Supreme Court has issued over a dozen orders to the government to remove illegal structures built on lake areas. Similarly, the Constitution of Nepal, 2015 empowers local governments to preserve lakes and other natural resources in their respective areas. However, despite more than half a decade since the promulgation of the constitution, encroachments in Fewa Lake remain unabated. Disappointed by the indifference of the people’s representatives to the preservation of Fewa Lake, civil society in Pokhara has begun to join forces to voice their concerns against the encroachment of lakes in the Pokhara Valley. Recently, they have been putting pressure on the government almost daily. “We have approached the local government many times before, drawing their attention to the encroachment of lakes, but they seem unresponsive,” said Ram Bahadur Poudel, founder coordinator of Civil Society Kaski. “There are strong laws and policies to preserve the lake, but dozens of hotels and restaurants continue to spring up on the lake shores, encroaching upon the lake area.” The Pokhara Valley is home to several large and small lakes, including Khaste, Gudey, Neureni, Maidi, and Dipang, along with Fewa, Begnas, and Rupa, which are popular among visitors. Civil society and other stakeholders have launched numerous campaigns to save these lakes. They have published more than two dozen press releases, held meetings with mayors and ward chairs dozens of times, and run joint campaigns to clean up the lakes in collaboration with social organizations such as youth clubs, women’s groups, and cooperatives. “We will not give up our campaign until illegal structures built on the lake area are removed,” said Bishnu Hari Adhikari, a leader of Civil Society Kaski. Local residents say that encroachment on Fewa Lake has increased further after the metropolis introduced a new rule allowing people to use land near the lake shores for agricultural purposes. Under the guise of starting agricultural ventures, unscrupulous individuals have developed land plots on over 300 ropani of Fewa Lake’s land in just three months, according to Liladhar Poudel, chairperson of the District Coordination Committee, Kaski, and coordinator of the Fewa Watershed Area Monitoring Committee. Under mounting pressure, Pokhara Mayor Dhana Raj Acharya has stated that the metropolis will not compromise on the preservation of Fewa Lake. “We are preparing strong guidelines to prevent encroachment on the lake,” he added. However, civil society leaders say they do not believe in mere lip service. “We have been hearing commitments like this for many years. What we want now is implementation,” said Shashi Tulachan, another leader of Civil Society Kaski. Both the constitution and the Local Government Operation Act, 2018 empower local governments to make policies regarding the protection of local resources. “However, the rules under the constitution and policies have overlapped in many ways, resulting in delays in implementing strong policies,” said Kalpana Devkota, CEO of the Gandaki Province Office of Lake Conservation and Development Authority.  

Just a week ago, the Chinese carrier Sichuan Airlines made history by conducting a chartered flight at Pokhara International Airport, marking the first international flight in Pokhara. The flight was not only about launching an international route but also about establishing a business connection between China and the city of Pokhara. As an initial step in furthering business connections between the two countries, the Nepal-China International Dragon Boat Race Festival was organized in Pokhara recently. The festival took place over two days on Fewa Lake. All the passengers on the first international flight to Pokhara were participants and officials attending the Chinese cultural show. The Dragon Festival, a Chinese historical and cultural event, is held annually for three days based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. This year, the Nepal Tourism Board hosted the festival. According to the Chinese Embassy, the boat race festival has been organized in nearly 50 countries, and this was the first time it took place in South Asia. The event involves rowing dragon boats on water, employing specific boating techniques. Sixty players with eight dragon boats participated in the game, including teams from China and Singapore. The Nepali players, who had trained for a week, competed against the experienced international teams from China and Singapore. During the festival, various stalls were set up to showcase traditional Chinese cuisines. More than 3,000 visitors, including foreign tourists, gathered at Hallanchock on the shores of Fewa Lake to observe the boat race. According to local tourism entrepreneurs, around 500 tourists, with more than half of them from China, attended the event. “Almost all the hotels around the Lakeside were fully occupied during the festival,” said Pom Narayan Shrestha, the chairperson of the Pokhara Tourism Council. The Dragon Boat Race Festival was jointly organized by the Nepal Tourism Board, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, the Pokhara Metropolitan City, and several local organizations, including the Pokhara Tourism Council. Commenting on the event, Dharan Raj Acharya, the mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City, said the Chinese Embassy was very positive about assisting the local government in strengthening mutual welfare through further tourism initiatives. In the closing ceremony of the festival, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song presented the dragon boats brought from China for the festival as a gift to the Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Song said that China was willing to organize more such events and strengthen the cultural, social, and economic bond between China and the tourist city of Pokhara. Robin Sharma of the Nepal Tourism Board said that the Chinese Embassy covered more than half of the total expenses for organizing the boat festival. Excluding the cost of the chartered flight, boats, shipping charges, and accommodations for the nearly 300 Chinese guests, the estimated cost of the event was Rs 7m. “The actual expenditure will be three times higher if all the expenses borne by the Chinese Embassy are also included in the organizing cost,” he added. The Pokhara International Airport, built with China’s loan assistance, has been operational for a year but has not yet received any international flights. “The interest shown by the Chinese government to promote Pokhara will encourage international airlines to operate flights to Pokhara,” Ganesh Timilsina, the chairperson of the National Assembly, said. Timilsina said he held discussions with Chinese stakeholders on establishing direct flights between Pokhara and different Chinese cities. Bikram Gautam, the chief of the Pokhara International Airport, expressed optimism that the chartered flight and the important international cultural show in Pokhara have paved the way for stronger market ties with China. Informal discussions with Chinese stakeholders about starting flights to Pokhara are ongoing, he added.

Ratna Mandir, the palace on the shores of Fewa Lake in Pokhara dedicated to the former Queen of Nepal, Ratna Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah, opened to the public on May 29. The government had not opened the palace, which was built in the 1960s, to the public even after the end of the royal rule. The palace, located on the shores of Fewa Lake, served as a retreat for the former royal family during their visits to Pokhara. According to local residents and historical records, the royal family would visit Pokhara twice a year, staying for up to a month each time. In response to the local interest in preserving Ratna Mandir as a heritage site for tourism promotion in Pokhara, the Nepal Trust, a government agency, opened the palace complex to the public, coinciding with Republic Day. The ownership of the palace complex was transferred to the Nepal Trust after the end of the royal rule in the country. According to stakeholders and local tourism professionals, the opening of Ratna Palace has led to an increase in the number of tourists visiting Pokhara. Hotel owners in the Lakeside area have reported a growth in their businesses, as they have noticed an influx of domestic tourists. “While Ratna Palace may not be a primary tourist destination, visitors do not want to miss the opportunity to observe it,” said Hari Bhujel, a hotel owner in the Ratna Mandir area. Mekh Bahadur Thapa, a 51-year-old resident of Pokhara-15, Rambazaar, took a day off from work to accompany his relatives from another district to visit Ratna Mandir in Lakeside. “As my guests expressed a keen interest in visiting the Queen’s palace, I took leave from the office for the day,” Thapa said. Thapa and his family and relatives visited the palace premises last week. “I was curious about the reasons behind closing the doors of this palace to the general public,” Thapa shared. Similarly, 54-year-old Suka Maya BK of Bhumahi in Nawalparasi decided to postpone her return home by a day. Upon learning that Ratna Mandir was open to the public, she became extremely curious and asked her relatives in Pokhara to take her to the Queen’s palace. “I was eager to see how the royal family lived during that time,” she added. According to Gita Mijar, Chief of the Nepal Trust Pokhara Office, nearly 4,000 people have visited Ratna Mandir within just two weeks of its opening. “The majority of these visitors are domestic tourists, who appear to be driven by their curiosity to observe the living standards of the royal family,” she added. Foreign tourist numbers low According to the Nepal Trust Pokhara Office, the number of foreign visitors to Ratna Palace has been relatively low. Since the opening day, only 10 foreigners have visited the palace so far. “Although foreigners come and inquire about tickets, they don't purchase them,” Laxmi Bhatta, a ticket counter attendant at Ratna Mandir, said. The Nepal Trust collects Rs 100 from Nepalis and Rs 1,000 from foreigners as an entry fee

“I feel that my struggling days are behind me now,” Durga BK , a farmer from Deurali village of Rupa Rural Municipality-5, Kaski, told a village gathering recently. Not long ago, BK got into livestock farming and she seems quite hopeful for it to come. She has almost two dozen goats now. Her days pass tending these goats. BK is hopeful that she can easily earn Rs 500,000 by selling the goats. “There was a time when I used to wander around looking for a job. But nobody would employ me because I lacked skills,” says BK. “But now I feel that I can do something on my own.” Chitra Kumari Gurung, another villager, shared a similar story. Her husband’s income was not enough to raise the family including their children and elderly in-laws. She says her life transformed after local women got her into collective farming. These days she keeps herself busy taking care of her livestock. “The days of adversities ended for me after I got into livestock farming,” she told the meeting. BK and Gurung are among the cohort of women who have turned their lives around after getting into livestock farming through government grants and support. Until a few years ago, most of these women were jobless. Their daily lives revolved around household chores like cooking and raising children. “I almost went into depression because I had no income of my own and I had gotten into the habit of  overthinking everything,” said Goma Gurung. “The farming project has saved my life and many other women in this village.” Kho Maya Gurung, chairperson of Annapurna Livestock Agricultural Group, said they had to hire a professional to write a proposal for a grant. “We had no idea about proposal writing, so we hired a professional to help us with the proposal that we sent to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock,” she said. “The group members collaborate with one another and everything we have achieved so far is a result of teamwork.” There are several such farmers’ groups in Gandaki province, which have achieved success in livestock agriculture after participating in the grant program of Nepal Livestock Sector Innovation Project, supported by the World Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The project has been distributing grants for individual and group farmers. “This program has helped those farmers who wanted to do something innovative, but had been stopped due to the lack of funds,” said Sushil Khadka, agriculture expert of the project. Arjun Prasad Banjara, chairperson of Chakra Devi Agriculture Group from Pokhara-31, said they were thankful to the project for supporting them with funds and for boosting their confidence. Through collaboration with Aama Milan Cooperatives, the group is running a collective cow farm. Together, they raise almost 50 cows and make their earnings by selling milk and other dairy products. “I decided to continue to domesticate cows at my home after coming into contact with this farming group,” Shovakhar Subedi , a farmer from Begnas Taal area, said. “The group has helped me find a market and earn money.” Farmers associated with these groups said the project has opened many opportunities for them. Apshara Shrestha, secretary of Annapurna Livestock Agriculture Group, said these days their local governments ask the group to take responsibility for agriculture-related tasks. Dhan Bahadur Baruwal of Annapurna Rural Municipality of Myagdi said his livestock business was largely unproductive for almost a decade until his son Narayan, who had just returned home from foreign employment, suggested he ask governmental and non-governmental bodies for grants. “We were finally linked to the Nepal Livestock Sector Innovation Project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, which supported us to run a goat farm,” he said. Today, the father-son duo have 120 goats. Around 500 livestock farms in different parts of the country are being run with grants from Nepal Livestock Sector Innovation Project. In Gandaki province alone, there are 55 group and 60 individual farmers who are being supported by the project.