THE SMALL EARTH NEPAL

On 20th December 2022, The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) with support from Nagdaha Youth Club, Nagdaha Conservation Committee and Football Club Youth Club (FC Youth Club) completed the Floating Treatment Wetland System (FTWS) rafts Installation in Nagdaha, Nepal, under the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) funded “Floating Treatment Wetland System (FTWS) – Sustainable green technology to remediate the polluted surface water bodies”. Five Volunteers from Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus and six Members of Nagdaha Youth Club helped in preparation and installation of rafts. 

FTWS rafts were of size of 4*6 (24 square feet) each with a bamboo frame at the bottom and a styrofoam layer sandwiched between 2 Polyethylene foam layers. These layers were topped by a layer of bamboo mat. Each raft contained 55 plants from one of the two species selected, viz. Canna Indica and Salvia splendens. Total of 40 rafts were installed strategically with 8 rafts each on 5 corners of Nagdaha: 2 along drainage and runoff sites; 2 at the points where people wash clothes and take bath; and 1 near the Naag Dev Shrine.

Total of three weeks have been consumed in the entire process that included gathering of materials, preparing bamboo frames, layering and attaching foams and mats, planting on the raft making holes, transporting and anchoring them. The rafts were installed using a boat under the supervision of the Nagdaha Youth Club. Local people around the Nagdaha area were found optimistic towards the FTWS Project. SEN will carry out water quality sampling and analysis on a fortnightly basis in sample sites to monitor their changes after the raft installation.

SEN team and Nagdaha Youth Club planting plants in the FTWS raft

Nagdaha Youth Club Members helping in preparing raft for transport

Tying the anchor on FTWS Raft