KATHMANDU: A field inspection by the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office and technical experts on Friday revealed that heavy accumulation of debris and waste in the Bagmati River is the primary cause of severe street flooding across the capital.

Following continuous downpours on July 2 that crippled vehicular movement, the team concluded that the elevated Bagmati riverbed causes a critical “backflow” into key tributaries like the Tukucha, Dhobikhola, and Bishnumati.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Suresh Prasad Kafle, chief of the traffic office, explained that when heavy rains cause the Bagmati’s water level to rise above its feeding streams, the water is forced onto surrounding streets, heavily waterlogging major corridors including Singh Durbar, Anamnagar, Maitighar, and Sinamangal.

To mitigate this recurring monsoon issue, the inspection team has recommended immediately dredging the Bagmati River to a depth of at least 1.5 meters to clear out the silt, while urging coordinated, long-term government intervention to regularly clean the rivers and overhaul the city’s drainage and sewerage infrastructure.