KATHAMNDU CITY-SETTLEMENT GEOGRAPHY

8/7/2019 KATHAMNDU CITY-SETTLEMENT GEOGRAPHY

1/16

SETTLEMENTGEOGRAPHY

2010

KATHMA

DNUCITY-SET

TLEMENT

GE

OGRAPHY

TRYAMBAKESHSHUKLA

BP/463/2008

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICALPLANNING

SCHOOL OF PLANNINGAND ARCHITECTURE


2/16

KATHMADNU CITY-SETTLEMENT GE GRAPHY

SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE Page 1

KA

AND VALL OF L

LOCA

ON

Kathmandu Valley lies between the latitudes 27 32 13 and 27 49 10 north and

longitudes 85 11 31 and 85 31 38 east and is located at a mean elevation of about

1,300 meters (4,265 feet)abovesealevel.

Highsandstonemountainrangesstandallaroundthesedistrictssuchas Phulchowki intheSouth East, Chandragiri/Champa Devi in the South West, Shivapuri in the North West, and

Nagarkot in the North East (Figure 2). The altitudeof these mountains varies around 1500

meters to 2800 meters (Baniya, 2008). The threemajor river systems inthe valley are the

Bagmati, Bishnumati, and Manohara. Therearelakesandpondsalsoinallthreedistricts.

AncienthistoryoftheKathmanduvalleysaysthatitwasahuge lakewhichwassettledafter

draining away all the water through Chobhar gorge by a Chinese Saint. Early settlements

were around very few places. Townships developed and flourished through Indo-Nepal-

Tibet trade. Though many small towns were established by the second century A.D. and

urban centers by the 11th century, according to the records, urbanization of the valley

commenced in the late 1950s, accelerating during the 1970s. According to the population

census of 2001, Kathmandu district had the biggest urban population and the highest

numberofhouseholdsin Nepal.


3/16

KATHMADNU CITY-SETTLEMENT GEOGRAPHY


KA

AND VALL N 3D C

V

CL A

TheclimateofKathmandu Valleyissub-tropicalcooltemperatewithmaximumof35.6C in

Aprilandminimumof 3C in Januaryand 75% annual averagehumidity. Thetemperature

ingeneralis 19C to 27C insummerand 2C to 20C inwinter. Theaveragerainfallis 1400

millimeters, mostofwhichfallsduring Juneto August.

AD

N

A

V

D

V

ON

Kathmandu Valley comprises of three districts, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur,

togetherwhichcoveranareaof899 squarekilometers, whereastheareaofthe Valleyasa

whole is 665 square kilometers. The Valley encloses the entire area of Bhaktapur district,

85% ofKathmandudistrictand 50% ofL alitpurdistrict.

Thethreevalleydistrictshaveatotalof150 localadministrativeunits (Village Development

Committees and Municipalities) out of which five city governments have the highest

population and economic activities. With more than 1.5 million people, (220,000

households) the Kathmandu Valley is the most important urban concentration in Nepal.

Being a capitalcity, Kathmandu Valley in comparison to the restof Nepal, possesses basic

amenities like water supplies, electricity, gas, telecommunications, roads, sanitation,

education, security, andtransportation. Newproductsandservicesarefirstlaunchedinthe

valley and therefore the inhabitants have access to modern equipment and technology.

New technologies and interventions come to th e valley first, and this technological

sophistication along with other amenities is an important pull factor for rural to urban

migration.


4/16


SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE P 3

! " # $ % & Valley ( V) ' s ! " e & ( ban cente( ) 0 Ne 1 al and ' ncludes 0 ' ve # aj ) ( c' ties:

athmandu 2 Lalitpur2 Bhaktapur2 irtipur 2 and Thimi (re0 er to map in page 3). athmandu

Metropolitan City ( MC) is the largest city in Nepal and the cosmopolitan heart of the

Himalayanregion. With a history and culture dating back2 2 000 years, the city, along 3 ith

the other towns in the Valley, ranks among the oldest human settlements in central

Himalaya. Old athmandu corresponds to the current city core, encompassing a compact

4 one oftemple s 5 uares andnarrow streets. The oldroyalpalace comple 6 ofDurbarSquare,

is in the center of Old athmandu and has been designated as a World Heritage site by

UNESCO.

KATHMANDUVALLEYADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS

MAJORECONOMICACTIVITIES

Kathmanduis the centre for severalmajorindustries suchas carpets, garments, finance and

tourism, as wellas healthand educational services. This is mainly due tothe lackofessential

infrastructure and services in other parts of the country. According to one estimate, the

Kathmandu Metropolitan City's economic outputis worthmore than Rs.170 billonper year.

Trade accounts for21 7 ofits finances. Manufacturing comes ne 8 tinimportance with19 7 .

Kathmandu is amajormanufacturerand e 8 porterofgarments andwoolen carpets. Other


5/16



sectors are agriculture (9 9 ), education (6 9 ), transport (6 9 )andhotels andrestaurants (5 9 ).

Tourismis alsoakey componentofthe city's economy.

DEMOGRAPHICSITUATION OF KATHMANDUVALLEY

According to CBS, (2003a) the population of the three districts of Kathmandu valley

increasedfrom1,107,370in1991to1,647,092in2001. Theannualpopulationgrowthrate

in Kathmandu district was 4.71 @ , increasing at twice the national rate of 2.2 @ . The

population of Kathmandu district was 675,341 in 1991 (3.6 @ of Nepal's population) and

1,081,845in2001 (4.6 @ ofNepal's population). The populationdensity (Numberofpersons

per square kilometre)ofKathmandudistrictwas 1,069in1981;1,710in1991, and2,739in

2001. The details ofdistrict wise populationdistribution anddensity are presented below

respectively.

DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATIONBY DISTRICT

POPULATION DENSITYBY DISTRICT

According to CBS (2003a) the three districts of Kathmandu valley consist of 5 of the 58

municipalities in the country and 114 VDCs. Urban areas are classified into Metropolitan

Cities, Sub-Metropolitan Cities, and Municipalities as per the Local Self Governance Act,

1999. As perthis Act, there are three municipalities (Bhaktapur, Madhyapur, andKirtipur),

one sub-metropolitan city (Lalitpur), and one metropolitan city (Kathmandu). The

population in designated urban areas of Kathmandu valley had increased considerably


6/16



about 5 times in 2001 than 1952/54. The details of urban population growth trend are

shown below.

URBANPOPULATIONGROWTHTREND

HIGH DENSITYINKATHMANDUVALLEY

Urbanizationhadnot beenuniformthroughoutthe country. Mosturbanizedareas were in

Kathmandu valley, which contributes significantly to the overallurbanization status of the

country. The urbanpopulationdensity ofKathmandu valley was 10,265 (the population is

995,966 and the area 97 sq. km) (CBS, 2003a). On the other hand, the ruralpopulation is

alsoincreasing slowly inthe valley. The average annualgrowthofthe ruralpopulationwascomparatively higherthanfor Nepalas awhole. The restofthe average annualgrowthrates

are given below.


7/16



AVERAGEANNUALGROWTHRATE OF URBANAND RURALPOPULATION

LAND USE

KATHMANDUMETROPOLITANCITY

Dominant land use type in Kathmandu municipality is mixed which mostly comprises

residentialand commercialareas. Itoccupies2592.7hectares, or48.88 A ofthe totalarea. A

totalofeighteenlanduse types are foundinthis municipality. The roadareaalsooccupies a

significantlandarea (386.52hectare).

LALITPURMINICIPALITY

Residential and commercial area classified as mixed land use covers the largest part the

Lalitpurmunicipalarea, comprising673.06hectares, followed by cultivationandinstitutional

areas.

BHAKTAPURMUINICIPALITY

Cultivation dominates land use types among all other types in the Bhaktapur area which

occupies383.97hectares ofthe total municipal area. It is followed by mixed landuse with

145.467hectares. Institutionalareafalls thirdwith34.86hectares.

KIRTIPURMUNICIPALITY

According to the area calculated from the GIS database, the largest portionin the

Kirtipurmunicipality is occupied by cultivation, followed by plantation. Mixed land use,comprisedof

residentialand commercialarea, covers 163.05hectares ofthe totalarea.

MADHYAPURTHIMIMUNICIPALITY

Cultivation covers the largestportionofthe MadhyapurThimimunicipalareatotaling712.26


8/16



hectares. Mixedareaofresidentialand commercialtype is second, followed by institutional

areacomprising85.58hectares.

A reviewof the landuse indicates that two municipalities: KMC and LSMC are dominated

bymixed land uses, which are used for residential and commercial purposes. In the

remaining threemunicipalities along with other Village Development Committees in the

valley, a significantpercent of land use is cultivation land. This past trend in urbanization

indicates thatthesecultivationareas are most susceptible tohaphazardurbanization.

EXISTINGLANDUSEMAP OF KATHMANDU

PRESENSTISSUESAND CONCERNS

The informal process of settlement development in the last several years has created

several

physical, socialand environmentalproblems inKathmanduValley. The fragile KV eco-system

isseverely affected by ever-expanding urban development and incompatible economic


9/16



activities.Someof the mostvisible consequencesof the haphazard development are listed

below.

RIV B R C OLL D E ION

Drainage is a significant problem in Kathmandu. Due to an inadequate and technically

unsounddrainage system, water backlogging is very common in many areas of the city. In

most places,both storm water drainage and sewerage has been combined. Many illegal

sewerage connectionsinto the storm water drains are common. At this time, there is no

mechanismforKMC orothermunicipalitiesandthe DepartmentofSeweragetocheckthese

illegalconnections. Althoughtherearesomewastewatertreatmentsystems inKathmandu

Valley, thesearenotfunctionalandasaresultwastewaterfromthedrainsandsewersare

dischargeddirectlyintothe Bagmati,Bishnumati, DhobiKholaandotherriversofKV without

treatment. Alongwithanincreaseinpopulationandunplannedandhaphazardurbanization,

thecityis becominganexampleofaterriblypollutedcitywithopensewersandunhygienic

disposalofwasteleadingtothepollutionofalltheexistingriversinKathmandu.

The three major riversBagmati, Bishnumati and Dhobi-Kholawhich flow through the

heartofKMC were in ancient times the jewels ofthe city, buthavenow turned into open

sewer. Overthe years the unplanned and haphazard growth of the city has caused an

adverse affect on thecondition of the rivers both environmentally and hygienically. The

riverbankshave beenencroachedandsquattersettlementsarefoundinabundanceinsome

stretcheswhereotherpartsare barrenorunused. Theriversaregrowing increasinglydirty

andpolluteddue tothedirectdischargeofwastewaterfromthehouseholds.

More than fifty percent of the population living in the city area is discharging their

wastewaterdirectly into these rivers. The disposal of the sewage from the manufacturing

and industries intothe rivers is also causing tremendous industrial waste discharge. The

cumulative household,industrial, and manufacturing discharge of wastewater is having

adversehygienicandenvironmental effectsontheriver.

For myriad of health, environmental, and economic reasons, the rivers are in dire need

ofattention. Careful sustainable planning and management based on a deep and shared

knowledgeof the technical and social issues linked to river management in the urban

context is critical forthe improvement and preservation of one of the most important

environmental, social, andeconomicresources. Thesustainablerivermanagement inurban

areas is not well known andadopted in Nepal. Despite of their fundamental role since

ancient times as the first place ofurbanization, riverside areas are frequently afflicted by

tremendous problems of overcrowding,conflicting uses, and pollution, often due to the

absolutelackofplanningandmanagement.Sadlythishasmanifestedintorealityinthecase

oftheKathmandu Valley.


10/16



AIR F OLL G H ION

Unplannedsettlements, poorroadnetworks, andconflicting landuses leadtoairpollution

causedby emissions fromvehicleplying alongnarrow and winding streets. To improve the

air quality ofKathmandu, the government has banned diesel and gasoline based three-

wheelersandcloseddownalocalcementfactory. Inaddition, bettercoordination between

municipalities andMinistry of Environment need to be established and at the same time

conflictingactsalsoneedtobemodifiedoramendedtoaddressth eissueofairpollution.

I OLID WA I H P DISPOSAL

Illegaldumpingofwasteinthecommonareaslikeriverbanks, publicland, andunplanned

settlementsisstillcommon. Thoseareasareeithernotserved bythemunicipalsolidwaste

collection system or the community is not organized to handle the problem. Due to

rapidurbanization, agricultural landsare beingdeveloped intohousingwhichposesserious

problemssuchastherenewalofgroundwaterresources, airpollution, andlossofgreenery.

Supplies ofcereals and vegetables are mainly imported into Kathmandu. A new waste

managementtechnologyandsystemurgentlyneedsto beintroducedtoaddressthepresent

waste problem dueto rapid population growth, rapid urbanization, and a change in the

composition of waste.Another perennial problem in waste disposal has been the use of

landfillsites. Thelandfillsiteshave beenaverysensitiveissueforalongtime, oftenarousing

vicious opposition from theadjacent communities, severely interrupting waste collection

anddisposalinthecityareas.

H RAFFIC CONG P STION

Conflicting land uses, unplanned and haphazard construction, inadequate road network,

andinefficient transport management are creating severe traffic congestion during peak

commutingperiods inthecity. Duetothe lackofproperroadnetworksconnectingthecity

center and semiurbanareas, public transport cannot operate effectively in a semi-urban

settlement. New roadsconnecting north -south of Kathmandu along the riverbanks in

Kathmandu, inner and outer ringroad construction need to be built to curb traffic

congestionandairpollutioninthecity.

LAND SPEC G LATION

Due to the absence of the provision of socialhousing or the housing for the economically

weaksector/society, there is a great demand of land especially for the construction of

houses. Thereisnoalternativeoptionotherthanto buyapieceoflandand buildthehouse.

As a consequence, thedemand and the cost of land in Kathmandu is very high. Land


11/16



speculation is a characteristic ofurban development and this trend is detrimental to the

planned growth of the city and properexpansion of basic services to the people. Land

brokersandhousingdevelopmentcompaniesholdhugeparcelsoflandinurbanfringeareas

forspeculativepurposes.

LOSS OF C Q LTURAL R ERITAGE

Duetotheexcessivepressureofcommercialactivitiesalongwithunplannedandhaphazard

growth of the city, the cultural heritage of Kathmandu Valley is gradually eroding.

Historicponds, courtyards, public places and playing fields are being converted into public

buildings andprivate property. Traditional Guthi (trust) responsible for management of

publiclandhavebecomeinactiveinpreservingsuchland. Mostofthelands belongingtothe

trustareslowlybeingconvertedtocommercialuses bytheprivatecompanies. Theseprivate

companiesacquirelandfromthetrustonleaseout basisand buildcommercialcenters.

C R ANGEIN LANDUSE


12/16



AREA IN S ECTARE

LAND USE CLASS 1989 1999 2006

AGRICULTURE 13350 12944 14420

BARESOIL 17434 23742 21140

BUILTUP 2454 4366 5732

FOREST 28044 28366 31509

OPEN AREA 26266 18680 15267

WATER 943 393 423

TOTAL 88491 88491 88491

The barchart belowvisuallyquantifiesthesixlandusesineachdateandcan beinterpreted

transitions between different land use classes. The Built up area had increased and water

classdecreased bymorethantwofoldsduringthestudyperiod. Thechartshowsthatthe

Openarealandclasswasalsothemostdecreasedclassfollowed by Baresoillandclass. The

restofthelanduseshadnotchangedsignificantly.


13/16



BARCHARTSHOWINGLAND USE QUANTIZATIONIN 1989, 1999 AND 2006

EXISTING DEVELOPMENTINSTITUTIONSINKATHAMNDU

Various national and local institutions are involved in developing settlements and

urbandevelopment activities ofKathmandu urban areas and the Valley as a whole. Apart

fromthe

KMC, LSMC and the three municipalities, there are several central government

agenciesworking in KV. They are the Department of Land Reform and Management,DepartmentofHousingand Construction, KathmanduValley Town Development Committee

under theMinistry of Physical Planning and Construction, Department of Roads, Water

Supply andSewerage Corporation, Village Development Committees and District

DevelopmentCommittees. There is a lack of cooperation and coordination between these

institutions foreffective planningand implementationofurbaninfrastructure development

activities within

KMC andKathmanduValley.

PROPOSALS PLANNINGMODERNKATHAMNDU

Aimedtopreserve heritage & guide urbandevolomentthroughlanduse planningtoprevent

sprawlin city fringe & ensure settlementdensification.

Stratergy- by reinforcing transportation linkages .nkage of dispersed settlement

,continuationofexistance growth tendencies ofkathmandupatan complex & the bipolar

devolopmentofbhaktapur by reinforcingtransportaionlinkages .


14/16



Town devolopment implementation ac t 1972,formulated 3 broad zoning,city core (zone a

)kathmandu&lalitpur (zone b ), bhaktapur(zone c).led to the devoloment of ring road

,significantly acceleratedurbanisation.planswerereluctanttoaddresslongtermproblems.

New structural plan-undp&world bank 1987 aimed to provide guidelines for physical

devolopment of metropolitan region for year 2010.Major political situation plan was

shelved.

1991,integrated plans to be implemented in new democratic enviromentfocused on

perpheral area outside ring road,area beyond boundary recommendation related to

landuse(landpooling)&infrastructure.

PROP

OS

ALS

FOR

P

LANNING

T

ODER

NK

ATH

AT

NDU

POLICIES FOR LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT OF KATHMANDU VALLEY

Thelong-termdevelopmentconceptforthevalleywasapproved bythegovernmentin 2002

andhasadoptedthefollowingpolicies. Thesepoliciescan be takenas theguidingprinciple

forensuringplanneddevelopmentofthecityandvalleyasawhole.


15/16



A valleywideapex bodye.g.Kathmandu Valley Development Authorityto beformedwithproportionaterepresentationoflocal bodies.

Job opportunitiesshall bedecentralizedsothatpeoplecansettle inany locationofthevalley.

Delineationofruralandurban boundaries so thatseparateplanning standards can

beenforcedinruralandurbanareas.

Investments should be channelized to certain sectors only so thatdensification,development of new towns and allocation of future land can be

delineated.

A system of planning permitting and environmental impact assessment shallbeintroduced.

Tourism-related activities shall be promoted and polluting industries shall berelocatedtoothertownsoutsideKathmandu.

Bhaktapurandothertraditionalsettlementsto bedeclaredculturaltowns. Kathmanduto bedeclaredasingleadministrativeentity. Protectionofpublicparksandwatershedareas. DevelopmentofCottageindustries. Relocationofsecurityestablishmentstofringeareas.


16/16



BIBLIOGRAPHY

June, 1969 U thephysicaldevelopmentplanforthekathamnduvalley. Pant P.R;Kathmandu Valley Profile Bhandari S;Urban Change MonitoringUsing GIS and Geospatial Tools

Documents

KATHAMNDU CITY-SETTLEMENT GEOGRAPHY