It was raining heavily and I was walking through Rastriya Naach Ghar, Jamal. The main chowk of Jamal was flooded with water. Passerby including me faced difficulties to pass through the road due to the water that was more than one feet deep. The garbage littered around made the situation even terrible. Incidents like this happen during summer every other day and at different spots. “How can I pass through this?” a girl near me questioned herself.

Unable to find the answer, she took her sandals on her hand and crossed the water. There was nobody at the place to make the drainage system work. And the busy schedule didn’t allow us to wait for few more minutes. A foreigner by my side also took out his shoes and crossed the water. They were not crossing any natural river, it was raining and waster was blocked by the garbage. He was also following the girl like a child. I was behind him and I had no options left than to walk through the water by soaking my shoes and shocks. Germs must have made a good way in through my shoes.
By the time I crossed the water; a motorcycle came in a speed and splashed the water over me. My clothes were no more new. This summer the overall situation of the metropolitan was even worse as it rained many times and garbage remained uncollected for around a week. New road, Bishal Bazar, Indra Chowk Thamel, Bhrikutimandap and other major business hub were flooded with garbage by making the metropolitan less beautiful, less healthy and less organized compared to past years. Officers, students, staffs of different college and tourists were the main victim of this poor management. Worst was the situation of Maitidevi too. This time the water flooded inside the shops. A shopkeeper told me that he closed his shop because of the water. The vehicles couldn’t pass nor transit easily. Though the problem is not new, the effect is getting bigger each year. However, concerned authorities weren’t available on time to make the drainage work and rescue the passerby and vehicles. This situation alerts me while I was in Pokhara in my childhood days.
My cousin’s house was flooded with water as the drainage was not working properly and the water level reached the first floor. Though there was not casualty, it damaged food grains and clothes.
And now I am reminded of the next year as we have only two months left for the Nepal Tourism Year 2011. And if the same situation continues in the next summer we will be presenting the worst picture of Kathmandu. They may have unforgettable memory to walk through the garbage water, but they will not be able to tell it to others. Concerned authorities should start thinking about different problems that may arise anytime, most specifically the drainage and garbage management in Kathmandu.