Monday, November 06, 2006

Sikkimese Newars to study mother tongue in TU

Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, November 5:

While the charm of Newari language is on wane in Kathmandu, six Newars from Sikkim have arrived in the capital today to study their language.
Six Newar students from the Indian state of Sikkim are trying to join the Tribhuvan University to acquire degrees in Newari language, with a mission to take back academic and practical knowledge of their mother language to their hometown where people hardly understand use it.
Four aspirant Newari language students — two boys and two girls — are joining the Patan Multiple Campus to pursue Masters Degree, while two other girls have sought admission in Padma Kanya Collage in the Bachelors’ level.
“We are in search of our identity. We lately understood the value of our mother language and culture and now we want to study the language by enrolling in the university,” said Prajwala Pradhan, one among them, talking to The Himalayan Times.
With special programmes to promote local languages, the Sikkim government has made a provision to teach Newari language in some government schools and has allocated five seats for Newari teachers.
A resident from Milli of Southern Sikkim Prajwala Pradhan said she has chosen the study of Newari language as her career. Prajwala, Harimaya Pradhan, Chudamani Pradhan and Ashok Pradhan will study MA while Bina Pradhan and Babita Pradhan are studing BA.
Prof Prem Shanti Tuladhar, a Newari language professor in Padma Kanya Campus, said that thirst for cultural identity brought them here.
“It is their quest for identity which have driven them here. They have also found opportunity of winning a government job. That is why we say government policies matter,” she said.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

KMC says no to garbage from ‘outside’

Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, November 4[2006]:

Now on, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) will not allow emerging urban areas to dump garbage in the city area. Garbage produced in these areas accounts for 15 per cent of total garbage produced in the KMC.
Government records still mention these areas as ‘villages.’ The decision to bar these ‘villages’ from dumping garbage in the city area was taken some days ago, but it was not implemented.
However, today KMC officials prevented the dumping of garbage produced in the ‘villages’ in the city area.
As legal loopholes allow people to construct huge buildings in these ‘villages’, they are fast turning into urban areas. But these ‘villages’ lack infrastructure to manage solid waste.
“We have decided not to let villages dump garbage in the city. They are called villages, but they shelter a big population. They account for 15 to 20 per cent of garbage produced in the KMC,” said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of the Environment Department of the KMC. Jorpati, Sitapaila, Gongabu, Bansbari, Budhanilkantha, Dhapasi and other areas are dumping garbage in the City without getting KMC nod, he said.
“We can’t take it any more. Garbage brought from villages accounts for 15 to 20 per cent of total garbage, compelling us to spend an additional amount of Rs 15,000 per day on garbage management. The KMC has to face problems due to the increased garbage load at the landfill site in Sisdole and Teku station,” he said.

The KMC found it difficult to manage waste when locals of Sisdole, demanding that their demands be met, barred it from dumping garbage at the Sisdole site and locals protested against the continued operation of the 18-year-old Teku Station. Though VDCs allow people to construct huge buildings in villages, VDC offices do not manage waste. “Even after talks with the ministry concerned on the issue, we remained silent for quite some time. We had to take this decision,” Shrestha said. “If the villages want us to manage their garbage, local administration offices must pay us. Otherwise, we will return rickshaws or tractors which come from villages to our working area to dump garbage.” Private companies used to collect garbage from the peripheries and dump them in river banks and the Teku station.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Carbon credit: Two projects registered

By Razen Manandhar

Nepal has made a claim in the world carbon credit market. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board of United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has recently registered two of Nepal's projects on biogas support programme, which will give the nation a total of Rs 36,500,000 annually.

After undergoing a lengthy procedure of application and tough competitions, Nepal's projects: 'Project 0136: Biogas Support Programme - Nepal (BSP-Nepal) Activity-1', and 'Project 0139: Biogas Support Programme - Nepal (BSP-Nepal) Activity-2' are now 'registered' list of projects as small-scale CDM project activities, as per a decision made on December 27.

Authorised participants at Activity 1 are the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), Maiya Gautam and Suk Man Tamang, whereas those of Activity 2 are (AEPC), Min Prasad Gautam and Madhu Prasad Simkhada. 'It is a historic success and a milestone in Nepal's status in the world carbon credit market,' said Jivan S Acharya, a research Officer at Winrock International which provided technical assistance by preparing all the necessary documents. He said the industrialised countries will pay Nepal $500,000 (Rs 36,500,000) annually as compensation as they are emitting greenhouse gases through their industries, while the use of biogas technology in cooking and other purposes in Nepal will reduce greenhouse gas emission by displacing conventionally-used fuel sources, such as fuel wood and kerosene.

It is estimated that the projects, registered in CDM Executive Board from Nepal, will reduce around 94,000 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. "It is almost sure that the countries are ready to send us money. The Community Developed Carbon Fund of the World Bank has shown interest in purchasing carbon credit from these projects," he said. "The government will get the money," Acharya said, adding: "It should be used to support biogas plans."

Source: The Himalayan Times, 01 January 2006