PLANNING FOR URBAN EXPANSION OF THE KATHMANDU VALLEY- A THRESHOLD APPROACH

Abstract

The socio-economical and political value of the Kathmandu Valley has never been challenged in the history of Nepal. Even the victory by King Prithivi Narayan Shah of Gorkha over the Valley did not change the status but only highlighted the place of the Valley in the map of Nepal, with the capital city of unified Nepal in its heart. But times changed, and the modem addition in traditional cities of the Valley tarnished the glory which had been so fondly treasured. Today, the Valley faces a number of problems- poor environment, water scarcity, traffic congestion, ugly built-up areas and so on. The list seems endless. But these problems have not stopped the high rate of urbanization of the Valley with annual population growth rate of over 4 %. In fact, the urban problems are the unwanted by• products of uncontrolled urbanization. So to prevent further deterioration of the Valley, which in near future will be a conglomeration of settlements, analysis of population, including migrants, needs to be carried out to figure out under certain circumstances, how many people the Valley can accommodate and at the same time, provide adequate urban services. The physical boundary of the Valley with high hills around it, puts a limit on the urban growth beyond the foothills. Even for the area within the boundary, there is agricultural land to be preserved for ecological reasons, and there are open spaces to be left for seismic safety. There are people, and many are added each year. Services have to be provided to them, and among all, water stands as the most-crucial one. The Melamchi Project is at the doorway, but it needs to be examined for how long it can satisfy the thirst of the Valley people. Of all the perspectives, physical space and drinking water requirements are particularly important in suggesting the threshold capacity of the Valley. Definitely, the carrying capacity is not a static value and changes with change in social and technological changes. But for a country which cannot carry out dramatic development works, planning works have to be based on the realistic limitations and constraints. This study attempts to define the carrying capacity of the Valley based on selected factors, and recommends strategies based on threshold approach.