Government Fails to Address Fewa Lake Encroachment Despite 100-Day Plan

Pokhara. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which is part of the government with a two-thirds majority, had included the removal of encroachment on Fewa Lake in its 100-day agenda. The decision was made during the first cabinet meeting on Chaitra 13, 2082, announcing the removal of encroachment within three months. The government's decision stated that the encroachment on the Fewa protected watershed area would be removed and restored, and activities related to landslide management, source protection, and climate change adaptation would be initiated within three months with the participation of stakeholders to effectively protect the watershed area. 100 days have passed since the formation of the government. The 100-day achievements were also made public on Sunday, Ashad 20, 2083. However, Fewa Lake remains as it was yesterday. The government, in its 100-day achievements, has presented the conservation and removal of encroachment on Fewa Lake and its protected watershed area as a significant accomplishment. However, this claim by the government is not visible on the ground. Point 76 of the 100-point agenda related to governance reforms, approved by the Council of Ministers of the Government of Nepal, stated that the encroachment on the Fewa protected watershed area would be removed and restored, and activities related to landslide management, source protection, and climate change adaptation would be initiated within three months with the participation of stakeholders. Although some structures were bulldozed in the initial days in the name of removing encroachment, this campaign could not be sustained. Even structures partially damaged by bulldozers have been repaired by businessmen, and they are operating their businesses as before. Although it was initially said that structures would be removed within three months, the campaign is now completely stalled. Pokhara residents, who were expecting concrete plans and budgets in the upcoming fiscal year's budget for the conservation of Fewa Lake and compensation distribution in this area, have been disappointed after the budget announcement. The federal government's new budget does not include a concrete budget for the conservation of Fewa Lake. Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya says, 'The Prime Minister's Office demanded a report as if even one night's delay would be too much. The report was sent on the last flight of the night. Today, neither the budget is allocated in the books, nor is a clear vision for removing encroachment made public.' Acharya stated that the federal government ignored his demand for the budget to address the issue of the lake, even though he had personally met with ministers to request it. 'I met with the ministers and told them that it is necessary to address Fewa Lake in the budget. They agreed,' he said, 'but now Fewa Lake has drifted away from the federal government's attention. This is a sad thing.' It is estimated that more than 40 billion rupees will be required for compensation distribution for the land falling within the criteria of Fewa Lake. Stakeholders argue that the task of implementing the lake's criteria and permanently removing encroachment will become more complex due to the lack of a clear framework and concrete budget allocation from the central government to manage such a large financial liability. The Supreme Court had ordered all three levels of government to implement the lake's criteria by assigning responsibilities. After the full text of the verdict was published in Ashad 2080, the provincial government and Pokhara Metropolitan City formed a joint committee and completed the study. The Pokhara Metropolitan City has stated that the demarcation of the lake and the investigation of land have also been completed. However, the report has not been made public. The 'Boundary Determination and Demarcation Committee' formed by the federal government itself has also demarcated the lake's boundary and submitted a report to the government. The responsibility of demarcating the boundary was with the federal government, while the provincial and local governments were responsible for removing structures within the lake's criteria and beautification. So far, the work of installing pillars along the lake shore has been completed. The Metropolitan City has stated that 1,055 digital pillars have been installed along the lake shore, of which 611 are concrete pillars. The study of the lake has been conducted more than 10 times so far, but the government has not shown much interest in the beautification of the lake. Old reports are kept aside. The committee formed under the convenership of former District Development Committee Chairman Punya Poudel is the most recent one. After extensive study, this committee has set the new area and shape of the lake and identified the polluted land. The committee had recommended canceling the private land ownership documents of approximately 2,500 ropanis of land registered in private names by encroaching on Fewa Lake and returning them to the government. Before that, during the time of Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, the committee led by Vishwaprakash Lamichhane had also recommended canceling the registration of 1,692 ropanis of land. According to the latest committee's report, the area of Fewa Lake has been fixed at 5.726 square kilometers, or 11,255 ropanis, 11 annas, and 1 paisa. This area is based on the study conducted by the Government of Nepal and UNDP in 2038 BS. The boundary of Fewa Lake has been set as Dam Side in the east, Morebagar in the west, Damkilo between Khapaundi-Chankhpur in the north, and Chisapani Raniban in the south. The Irrigation Department built a dam in the lake for the first time in 2018 BS. However, after the dam broke in 2031 BS, people registered the land occupied by the lake in their names based on their influence. The committee found that land registration occurred between 2031 and 2055 BS based on the recommendations of various individuals. The Supreme Court had ordered the demolition of structures built in violation of the criteria by encroaching on Fewa Lake in 2075 BS. Looking at the 100-point action plan and 100-day achievements, landowners here believe that the government's approach towards Fewa Lake has improved. 'In the beginning, the bulldozing was done indiscriminately, and the government did not understand the reality. We later presented our evidence. We have evidence, land ownership certificates, and house completion certificates dating back to 1990 BS,' says landowner Hari Bhujel. 'Therefore, we are not encroachers or land mafias. It seems the government understands this now.' He argued that since the issue of Fewa Lake was not included in the budget, the government might have backed down from this issue. 'This was not seen in the federal government's budget, nor are issues like compensation included in the provincial and local government budgets,' he said. 'The government needs to reconsider this matter.'