Kathmandu heritage heroics

Saving Kathmandu's hidden treasures and helping its people

By South Asia Correspondent Daniel Lak

Nepal's capital Kathmandu is a city with some of the richest culture in South Asia - but it is a city in transition.

A year ago it was threatened with being stripped of its World Heritage Status.

As its economy grows and becomes linked to global commerce and trade, Kathmandu's environment is under pressure.

Unchecked urbanisation and growing pollution was threatening to swamp the city of temples and destroy its unique architecture.

The city wants to buy heritage sites to repair

More and more people are flocking to the city from the countryside to find work. Services are under strain, and the air is getting unbreathable.

But a new partnership between the local administration and foreign donors is trying to save its ancient treasures while still keeping the city's bustling economy intact.

One year into its term, the communist-led municipal government is acquiring a reputation for hands-on management of the city's problems.

Temple tantrums

The city government is buying heritage properties that are still in private hands in order to repair them.

One such site is the 200-year-old private temple of the Joshi family, a hidden architectural gem deep in the medieval quarter of old Kathmandu.

Most of the family want to sell, but one brother is holding out.

Local politicians are acting as go-betweens trying to arrange a deal as part of the drive to restore and rejuvenate the historic heart of this ancient city.

As Deepak Joshi says, it is a job that badly needs to be done.

"Day by day it is getting older and older - and it is very hard to maintain it. It is impossible for one person - or even a small group - to do the work," he said.

Rubbish in the streets

Kathmandu has a long way to go.

It's strewn with rubbish - something that politicians manage to blame on their rival parties.

Too many people are coming here from the country, attracted by jobs in tourism and other fields.

Mayor Schavit: 'You have to clean up by example'

Restoring the old city is part of the first real effort to turn this city around - and there is no shortage of international interest in the project.

Marshuk Ali Shah, from the Asian Development Bank, told me: "The preservation of the national heritage is an important element of all this effort - Kathmandu itself is a national treasure.

"By improving the national heritage, the infracstructure and checking the worsening pollution - we will contribute towards improving the living conditions of the population in the city. "

Shaking up Kathmandu

Nepal's capital is getting a face lift.

More than restoring old buildings, roads are being widened, polluting industries moved out, and the problems of growth are being tackled.

Kathmandu's communist mayor has shaken up the normally sleepy institution of municipal government in his first year in office.

Mayor Keshav Schapit says: "You can't force people to conserve their heritage or clean up their environment. You have to build concensus by setting an example. That's what we're doing, and the people are behind us."