Renovating a Historic Pond

Cleaning up and renovation of the Napukhu Pond in Bungamati, Nepal was completed on Sep.12, 2015. The whole community came together for the inauguration ceremony of the beautifully renovated Napukhu Pond.

During the earthquake, most of the pipelines were damaged or destroyed and there was a big water problem in the whole area of Bungamati. This is one of several water projects initiated by Venerable Bhante Wimala to solve the water problem in the region.

Napukhu Pond, a historic pond in Bungamati, was filled with dirt and debris. All the walls were damaged and there were ducks and other animals going into the pond. Because of the water shortage, people were still using the dirty water to bathe or wash clothes. When Bhante Wimala saw dirt and debris in the pond and saw how people were using the polluted dirty water to bathe and wash clothes, he promised to clean up and renovate the pond immediately.

After meeting with the community leaders and the government officers, Dinesh Shakya was appointed to manage the reconstruction and cleanup operation work. Dinesh oversee and manage most of the humanitarian projects of Ven. Bhante Wimala.

Within just a few days, plans, a request letter to renovate the pond, a government approval letter, and a budget was presented to Bhante Wimala. By the time the documents were ready, Bhante already had found a sponsor. This time it was Rehan Perera from Singapore. Bhante Wimala and Rehan have known each other for a long time and he has also supported Bhante’s humanitarian projects in the past.

Overcoming numerous challenges such as government red tape, rain delays, machine issues and so on.. the work was completed within 30 days. During the renovation, Dinesh, the project manager maintained very close daily contact with Bhante who provided all the necessary support to solve problems to speed up the work.

A crane and trucks were used to remove all the dirt and debris, which took four days. New walls were built all around and a fence was installed to prevent animals entering. A special washing area was prepared outside the pond. A sitting area and small garden was created to make the environment more peaceful and enjoyable.

At the inauguration addressing the community, Bhante shared his heartfelt gratitude with Rehan Perera and the Perera family for their ongoing support for his humanitarian projects. He also shared his blessings with the project manager who worked tirelessly to compete the work in time.