Possible impact of Planning Intervention on City River Corridors

Abstract

City river corridors of the Kathmandu valley have a significant role to play on urban planning and urban development. Unlike others, these rivers flow through the middle of the city; therefore, it's high time to study and plan these river corridors before they are encroached and rundown into messy slum riversides by the haphazard urban growth. Dhobi-Khola, though the discharge is low and small, is a perennial river and flows through the heart of the city. The built up area which was 4% in 1954 within the 200 meter band of Dhobi-Khola River has now been increased to 31 %. Net river area has been decreased to 9% now from 18% in 1964. Against this backdrop, this study has been carried out with the aim to investigate the existing situation and changes; to review proposed projects namely DKCIP and GAIAUPP; to find out possible impacts focusing on the transportation networks, socio cultural aspect, people's response, environmental aspects like sewage and solid waste; and land development etc. A descriptive and interpretive approach has been adopted including data analysis of primary survey namely 'river use survey' and "Household questionnaire survey". Chronological studies of river corridor with the help of aerial photographs, Satellite Images and field visits have been made. Urban land availability, environmental degradation, easy to layout roads and sewers as corridors, less cultural and religious linkage to the river, financial viability for development as road corridor too has encouraged authorities to intervene this river corridor. Unlike Bagmati and Bishnumati, less archaeologically important sites and monuments have been found in this river. Less cultural and religious linkage to the river of the surrounding people is also due to the changes on river alignment naturally and artificially in the past. Lacks of facilities to perform their cremation works and other religious function have kept them far from this river. Nearly 5.5 m3 solid wastes per day has been found to be deposited at the entire river corridor from Bagmati confluence to Chabahil (Section 1 to section 7) which should be added to the 350 - 400 m3 per day being managed for KMC today if planning intervention is to made at the corridor. Through the urban planning perspective, the 'Dhobi Khola Link Road' (DKLR) is justifiable. Less cultural impacts, significant improvement over river environment, immediate functioning of the innermost ring road and Dhobi Khola ring road along with existing ring road among four concentric ring roads of the valley envisioned with the huge relief of traffic from city core, decongestion at Thapathali junction, Gaushala and Chabahil Chowks, establishment of connector road between the rapidly growing urban fringe Kapan area and Patan core area and large vacant plots going to be developed at Chabahil, Ghattekulo etc. are the justifications of the construction of DK.LR. Comparative chart made in this study for various origin and destinations have also proved this road to be significant. The corridor may be converted into a large institutional and commercial center of the city combining the characteristics of both the river corridor and the major transport corridor. If not intervened, the proposed land development pockets at Ghattekulo and Chabahil areas, which are the river banks of last 100 years, is most likely to develop as the present area of GAIAUPP, which was also a river bank in the past. The large spaces remained at the corridor as the household courtyards and vacant plots have positively indicated the land readjustment schemes necessity. Still, around 60% area of the corridor has found to be vacant including roads. The prospect of appreciation of land value, with reference to the lands of Bishnumati corridor, where the price hike was almost 10 times after construction of Bishnumati link Road, has been found to be sufficient to finance the proposed planning intervention at the corridor if minimum of 25 meter land is acquired and developed. The proposed ratio of contribution for separate land development schemes and the peoples will for contribution have found significantly different. The necessity of partnership programs with people have been recommended Finally, smce the different nvers of Kathmandu Valley have their own characteristics and require different approach for intervention, the study will definitely help the future researchers specifically for them who want to study in rivers like Manohara, Nakhu etc. Hence, the strategy to develop river corridors should be synchronizing its potentiality with the potentialities of the surrounding areas of the river.