Pokhara, February 18
A new study has found out that the Phewa Lake of Pokhara, a major attraction among foreigners and Nepalis visiting the country’s tourism capital, is 5.3 square km big.
It is 0.24 square km more than the area of the lake (5.06 square km) recorded in 2008. However, the newly claimed area is less than the area of 5.8 square km claimed by the UNDP study in the early 1980s.
The report prepared by a team led by the then chief of the Kaski Development Committee Punya Paudel. Gandaki Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung handed submitted the report of the Phewa Lake Delineation and Mapping Committee to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday.
Pokhara Mayor Man Bahadur GC, Deputy Mayor Manju Devi Gurung, the committee’s chair Paudel, member-secretary Khim Lal Gautam among others were present during the handover ceremony.
So far, at least nine committees have conducted investigations about the area of the lake, but they have come up with different conclusions. Paudel claims his team analysed all the past reports before reaching the conclusion.
Of late, reports about the lake’s encroachment are quite frequent.
