Kathmandu Valley Ponds: Vital for Urban Water Management and Climate Resilience

The Kathmandu Valley is not only rich in historical heritage, monasteries, festivals, and cultural traditions, but its identity is also shaped by ponds, stone spouts, wells, canals, and other traditional water sources connected to its civilization and way of life. Ponds in various settlements of the valley were once the main source of water, centers of religious and cultural activities, structures for managing rainwater, and important bases for maintaining local environmental balance.

However, in recent decades, many of these ponds have come under threat due to encroachment, unplanned urbanization, pollution, depletion of natural water sources, and a weak priority for conservation. As urban expansion intensifies in the Kathmandu Valley, the area of open and public land is shrinking. As land gets covered by concrete and paved structures, the natural process of rainwater infiltration into the ground has weakened.