Anish Bhandari (abhandari@soscbaha.org) works at the Centre for the Study of Labor and Mobility
(CESLAM) at Social Science Baha, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Those who have probably
known Kathmandu for a long time can see that it has changed its structure over
the years like every other rapidly urbanizing city. The eighteenth SAARC summit
hosted in Kathmandu and the government's road expansion project in recent years
has transformed the gaze of the capital city of Nepal. One can see the
construction workers with their helmets, jackets and tools working along the
road sides everywhere in the city. It is also clearly visible that Kathmandu is
slowly expanding to the peripheral hills which has difficult landscapes with forests
and national parks. This expansion is due to the booming urbanization in the
country and across the region. According to the 2011 Census Report, the urban
population constitutes 17% (4,523,820) of the total population and Kathmandu
alone accommodates a total of 1,744,240 people.
The fact that
Kathmandu accommodates more people than its capacity in terms of the resources
such as drinking water and electricity proves that the thriving urbanization is
responsible for changing the structure of the capital city. The road expansion
project and housing apartments building construction are the large scale
constructions going on in Kathmandu. Also, the Melamchi Drinking Water pipes
installation and solar lights installation along the city roads are speeding.
The proposal of the government to construct the flyovers in Airport-Kalanki
section and overhead bridge in New Baneshwor junction are also in the pipeline.
However, these large scale construction projects are proposed without proper
research and planning[i].Folks
across the county come to Kathmandu not only because of their aspirations for
better economic opportunities and access to basic services such as health and
education but also because of the central administrative structure of the
government that requires people to come to Kathmandu for multiple reasons such
as visa procurement or final departure from the only international airport of
the country. No wonder Kathmandu is one of the rapidly urbanizing cities in
South Asia because it not only accommodates the permanent dwellers but transient
migrants as well. Urban development, therefore, is an important indicator of change.
