Photojournalism in Kathmandu

From trekking to “work”, or maybe I should say school. I’m hanging out with 16 to 18 year olds. Some are on their gap year, others are in high school. All are interested in photojournalism. The two high schoolers from Nepal are on school break for Tihar. Tihar is the second most important festival in Nepal, second only to Dashain, the festival in progress when I first came to Nepal. Tihar honors selected animals—crows (as messengers of the death God), dogs (who guide departed souls across the river), cows and bullocks (who tranport souls to the next world). The city is lit up like Christmas, with lights hanging everywhere. Timed with the new moon for Deepawali, the most important third day of the festival, the goddess of wealth visits well-lit homes and offers them good luck for the coming year.

There are six people participating in the photojournalism experience. Lara and Cornelius are from Germany. Simon is from Montreal. Bailey and Lauren are from the States though have French and South African passports. Ram Prasad Humagai, our advisor, works for Nepalnews.com and the online version of The Rising Nepal, gorkhapatra.org.np. We are to choose the topic we want to “report” on.

I chose safe drinking water. No one in Nepal drinks water from the tap. With a population of 1.45 million in Kathmandu alone, imagine the number of plastic bottles for trash or recycling. The population in the capital city has nearly doubled in the past four years (790,597 in late 2006), prompting a water shortage. Public wells, sans water, are now cavities for stagnant rainwater and trash. When I visited here in 2003, these communal areas were in constant use. The new construction has contaminated or eroded many water supplies that were previously used for drinking, bathing, washing dishes and clothes.

Nepal is primarily rural, with a population of over 29 million. Think about the water bottles required for residents and tourists. Think about the transportation required to carry water up the mountains on animals or by porters. And think about what happens to all those used bottles. It’s hard to imagine. I think about all the rivers and streams sprouting from the mountaintops and flowing down, how crystal clear that water is, astonishingly so. I recall our guide refilling his water bottle from a hose protruding out of a hillside. When asked if it was okay to drink, he cocked his head to the left in traditional Nepali fashion and said maybe, yes, but that he has gotten sick from it on occasion. Oh, how I wanted to be refreshed by that water, but thoughts of months-long recovery from Guardia dissuaded me from doing so.

I’ve been perusing several websites researching information about water purification in Nepal, and to monitor the current political situation. Nepal has been a republic for only a few short years. A constitution is in the works, and is to include mandates about clean water. There is only a figure-head of a prime minister at the moment, because the past several have resigned for various reasons and no one has received a majority of votes in about 16 elections. Here are some recent headlines. Note the reference to consensus.

Stories in the news on Thursday, 4 November 2010
•There will be consensus for national govt by Nov 6: Bhattarai
•Sujata hopeful of NC-led govt soon after Tihar
•Citizenship certificate not mandatory for obtaining voter ID cards: EC
•CJ Shrestha leaves for Japan to attend Judicial Conference
•No consensus in sight as big three stick to their guns
•Capital market lands in red zone
•CA chair suggests parties to deal with constitution-drafting and peace process
simultaneously
•Significant rise in outflow of Nepali workers
•Man shot in daylight robbery at Thamel
•NRB increases quota of gold and silver for Tihar festival
•UCPN (M) reiterates only new govt can present budget
•DeLisi confers with RJP chief
•Nepal to operate paragliding during NTY-2011 (Nepal Tourism Year 2011)
•Govt to introduce stricter legal measures to safeguard consumers' rights
•'Maoists keeping disqualified combatants in separate camps'
•Govt approaching donors for mid-hills highway
•Three arrested with equipments to print fake currency notes
•Police shoot dead one in Janakpur
•Taskforce close to agreement on single federal citizenship with provincial identity
•JC recommends three temporary Justices at SC for permanent status